


Schiza

by orphan_account



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Sonic the Hedgehog - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Original Character - Freeform, Original Fiction, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-19
Updated: 2011-05-29
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:55:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 34
Words: 106,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young girl named Schiza suffers from abuse at the hands of her parents. When one of the things that comforts her from all of the disorder, a stuffed blue hedgehog named Sonic, becomes real, she enters a world that many others cannot see. AU. Rated M for depictions of abuse, language, and some sexual content.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She could hear the rain drip-dropping from the roof of her house. It was a calming sound that always relaxed her. One of her favorite things in the whole world was rain. Something about it always seemed soothing to her soul.

When she was younger, she always played in the rain despite what her parents said. She loved jumping in the puddles and feeling the drops all over her. It was even better when there was a thunderstorm. She was always interested in the flashing streaks across the sky. The entire sonata of raindrops and thunder growling was enough for her to sleep at night.

It was a cool, breezy day, yet another one of her favorite things. The skies were gray, possibly another warning that it was going to rain again. She liked being outside whenever it was this kind of weather.

She saw a crow land right near her. It wasn't the usual black crow she would see everyday. This one was white with red eyes. An albino. She never saw something as black as a crow be a white as ash albino. She also never saw them staring at her like this one did. Its red eyes seemed to say to her, "what are you doing here? Can't you see that you don't belong here?" It cawed defiantly at her, as if it was trying to talk to her.

I know I don't belong here. I know, I know, I know! Leave me alone!

She was now looking at her old picture frames. There was one that she thought was nothing but a lie, when her mom and dad were married. She was also there, betwixt them, smiling as if it was the happiest moment in her life. She thought of herself as being so blind. This was nothing but a downward spiral. How could she be so stupid? How could she be so happy at this lie? This picture to her was so fake! None of the people in this picture, not even her, were happy at all! They were just staging an act for everyone to see, to assume that these were the happiest people in the whole world and there was nothing wrong with their lives at all. It was only a lie, and she was as filthy as a liar as her mom and dad.

She never wanted to see this picture as long as she lived. She quickly grabbed the picture frame and chucked it onto the floor. The sound of the frame shattering to many pieces was so satisfying to her, that she wished she could repeat this moment and replay it again and again. Seeing the glass fragmented over the picture defined what her life was like: broken, disorderly chaos.

She heard a rush of footsteps coming from the other side. She was prepared for this. And she knew who this was. Her mother came in through the door, examining the mess she created.

"Schiza, what's the meaning in all this? Don't you realize I had enough of your behavior? I'm too tired for this shit. You clean that up, right now!"

She hesitated a while, her eyes scanning for a broom. "But there's no broom, mom…"

"Then you pick it up with your hands! You terrible, rotten girl, if any of those pieces cut you, you damn well deserved it! You should think about what I'm going to do to you before you pull any of your shit!"

"I don't want to pick it up with my hands, mom…"

She immediately felt a sharp sting across her face. She looked up at her mother, who was staring angrily at her, with her hand out. Her mother had slapped her.

"Defy me anymore and I'll bring out the belt! Is that understood?" she bellowed.

She tried extremely hard to hide her tears. If her mother saw her crying, she would believe that she was trying to make her feel guilty and she'll hurt her again. She bent down slowly, carefully picking up the shattered pieces. Even when she was careful her fingers were pierced and red with blood. It continued to sting as she picked up the last small pieces off the floor and into the trash.

"You bleeding? Good! You deserved it after all the disrespect and embarrassment you have brought onto this family! We try to make you into a good girl, but you're so filthy and evil that not even God will accept you into Heaven. When you die, you'll burn in Hell and you will be punished for all of eternity after all the horrible things you have done! Do you want that? Do you want to burn in Hell?"

She strained to hide her tears but a few escaped from her eyes. "No mom! I don't want to burn in Hell! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cried.

"Sorry isn't enough for you, child. I want you to go to your room and you will stay there until I say it's okay for you to come out. You shall read your Bible verses and pray to God for forgiveness, if He even wants to save your damned soul. Is that understood?"

"Yes mom, I understand," she uttered out quickly.

Her mother grabbed her hand, tossing her into her vacant room. She slammed the door, Schiza hearing many clicks. Her mother was locking her inside the room.

Her room was mostly empty, save for a bed, a small desk, and a shelf that had the Bible lying on it. Her room used to have more things in the past, but she remembered that her mother took them away from her, saying it wasn't good for her to have many possessions, especially on how evil she was. The only things she had other than the Bible were her stuffed animals on her bed, the only thing that brought her comfort in her room.

She picked up the Bible from the shelf and began her verses. She went through them so many times that she nearly went through the whole entire Bible twice. But she knew no matter how many times she read these verses, her mother would never be happy. She would continue to scorn her, saying she was a terrible child and that she should've abandoned her when she began to act up. Her mother thought she tried everything for her to behave, but nothing seemed to work and she was beginning to give up. Schiza thought she should've tried something else other than locking her in her room and make her read Bible verses over and over.

An hour passed. Her mind grew weary from reading the verses. Her mother wasn't watching, so she thought she would take a 10-minute break before she would check on her. She laid on her bed, her pillow surrounded by a few stuffed animals. There was a cat that was missing an eye. She felt sorry for it, and she took it to her bed. She named it Lucky. Then there was a teddy bear that her father gave her two years ago. She named it Rosy. She always gave her stuffed animals names, as if they were her friends. She would talk to them when she felt upset, hugging them constantly to make her feel better.

There was one stuffed animal that was her favorite out of all of them. She always talked to it, and whenever her parents weren't around, she would host a tea party for it. There was something about it that always seemed to comfort her whenever she went to her room.

It was a blue hedgehog, with green eyes and a smiling face. It was Sonic, a stuffed animal that was given to her when she was much younger. One of her friends gave him to her on her birthday, knowing that her favorite animal were hedgehogs. He was a little dirty due to her used to carrying him everywhere, but there was something about him that she thought was very cute and very soothing to her. Like rain. She treated him as if he was real, even petting him and scratching behind his ears. She began to talk to him in a whisper, so her mom won't hear her.

"Hi Sonic. I was sent to my room again because I broke mom and dad's wedding picture. Even though I was punished for it, I don't care about what I did. It felt good when I broke it." She began to clasp him in her arms.

"My mom and dad were never happy when they got married. Never. Things got worse when it happened. I don't know why, but they did." She paused a little bit, looking into his eyes, then she began again.

"I don't like either of them. They're so mean to me, they treat me like dirt. The only time I'm ever happy is when I talk to you and your other friends or when I'm at school, hanging out with my friends." She sighed, clutching him even tighter. Tears began to develop. "I know you're a stuffed animal though. But I like to think of you as my friend. I like to think you always listen to me, and if you were real, you'd hug me back. Make it all go away. I wished you were real, Sonic. When my parents aren't around we could play." She began to pet him. "I think you would be very pretty if you were real. Your quills would shine…but I know that you're not real."

Thinking about that fact, she sniffled and some tears began to fall on him. "Maybe I can pray to God that you can…become real. I know it'll probably won't happen, because between you and me, I don't think God is as real as you."

She sat up, putting her hands together to pray. "Dear God, I know that I don't really believe in you. Because if you were real, you wouldn't let me be with my parents. But I have a request, and I'll say it anyways even though it probably won't happen.

"I have a friend named Sonic. He's a stuffed animal. But yet I think if he was real, he would play with me when my mom and dad aren't around. Maybe he'll even protect me from them. When I first got him I always thought he was good. Maybe…somehow, someway…you can make him real to me. It is such a big request, but maybe…you can help me.

"And forgive me of all of my sins, even though I feel like I haven't done anything wrong. Amen."

She could hear footsteps again. She knew she had to go back to reading the Bible otherwise her mom would make her stay here even longer. She quickly gave Sonic a peck, then went back to her desk. Her mother cracked open the door.

"Are you reading the verses of the Lord like I told you to?"

"Yes mom. I was reading them the whole time."

"At least you've done one good thing in your life. It's late. I want you to go to bed. I'll let you out of your room in the morning to go to school. You must wake up and be ready by the time I open this door. Is that understood?"

"Yes mom."

"Okay. Goodnight." She shut the door, more clicks being echoed. She locked the door again.

She went back to her bed, laying her body down. She once again looked at Sonic. "Goodnight Sonic. Sweet dreams." She once again gave him another peck, then closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school nurse suspects something is going on in Schiza's home.

Her dad was nice to her sometimes. But she knew that all of his love was nothing but a lie. He abused her worse than her mother. And despite her pleas, no one believed her. She once told her mother what happened. She called her a liar and said she was only making up stories.

She loved her dad before her parents got married. He would spend a lot of time with her. Take her to the park, spoiling her with gifts and affection. Even in the first grade, she wrote a lot about her father, saying he was the greatest father in the world.

Then when they got married, everything just seemed to change. The light turned to darkness. They moved in a house together with her, promising her that her good life was going to get better. That was when the fighting began. She could barely sleep or focus on her schoolwork without them yelling and screaming insults at each other. Then she would hear cries and what seemed to be things breaking apart and hitting. She always wondered why her mom never threatened a divorce, but she also knew why: she was scared. She was afraid of her father. Her father controlled her, and sometimes her mom would take it out on her.

She told her mother what happened before they moved to the house. Her father went to her bed last night and raped her. She was just called a liar and the entire matter was dropped. She never spoke of the incident again, but it was burned into her mind.

She used to love her dad. Now she wished he would choke on his own shit and die. If her mother never met her dad, things would be way different. She would've never been in this hell. She even thought about killing him before, but for some reason, she never wanted to do it. She thought it wouldn't make her any better than him. She never wanted to be a scumbag like him.

It was the crack of dawn now, rubbing her eyes and slowly getting out of her bed. Whenever she finished getting ready for school (which she usually did quickly), she liked watching the sunrise. Nature was another escape to her life. The sunrise was always a beautiful moment for her, she loved it when it rained, and she liked playing in the woods near her house. She remembered inviting a few of her friends to play games such as tag and hide and seek in the woods, and for a moment, she forgot about everything. She was completely immersed in the beauty of it all. Sometimes when her school assigned her to read a book, she would go out to the woods and read it. It was much more quiet and peaceful than her home.

Her mother opened the door. "Good, you're ready. Now go out to the bus stop and wait for the bus as usual. Don't be late." She opened the door wider, freeing her from her prison. She made no conversation to her mother or father as she left. Her stomach churned too much for her to eat breakfast, nervous about even confronting either of them.

She didn't want to talk to the other children at the bus stop or on the bus. She never did. Too much chaos was in her head for her to make out any words. She only spoke when she was too busy in her schoolwork.

In her first class, things were a little different.

"Schiza Mahogany to the nurse's office please. Schiza Mahogany to the nurse's office."

She rose slowly from her desk. Out of all of the things she dreaded in school, it was the nurse's office. She was just fine with her mind focused on her work. She didn't want to deal with the nurse. She walked away from the classroom, taking her time walking in the hallways.

She knew her teachers were concerned about her. She excelled in academics and believed she was smart, but they were always worried about her appearance. Her hair was usually in disarray, her body terribly thin, bruised and sometimes covered in scabs. She knew she was in bad shape, but she wished that her teachers would stay out of it. She felt like all they were doing were inconveniencing her.

She arrived at the nurse's office. She hated it in there. It always looked so drab, it was always cold, and she was afraid of catching whatever a sick student in the office had. The nurse looked up at her as she walked in.

"You wanted to see me, Mrs. Runnell?"

"Hello Schiza. I want to talk to you in the other room. Follow me, will you please?"

She hated these talks. She hated coming up with new lies for her injuries and why she looked like she came out of a warzone. She wished the nurse would finally drop it and leave her alone. She knew she couldn't do anything about it. She walked into her office, the nurse shutting the door.

"Schiza, Ms. Vyrce contacted me about your appearance. And…dear Lord child, I don't mean to offend you, but you look terrible. What happened to your fingers, sweetie?"

"I'm very clumsy, Mrs. Runnell. I accidentally cut my fingers."

"Doing what?" she questioned in a very concerned voice.

"Well…I'm so buried in schoolwork that I get paper cuts a lot. Paper always somehow cut my fingers."

"So you're telling me all those cuts are from paper?"

"Yes ma'am," she said with no emotion in her voice.

"Those cuts look too deep to be from paper."

"I'm telling the truth ma'am. Why would I lie?"

She examined her cuts once more, glancing at her with a troubled expression. "You got bruises too. What happened there, sweetie?"

"I fell down the stairs. I'm very clumsy."

"Honey, you said that the last time I saw you. Remember?"

"I fall down them a lot. I usually trip because of how clumsy I am," she replied without looking at her.

"And when was the last time you ate? You look horribly thin."

"This morning, ma'am."

The nurse then began to clasp her hand, looking her straight in the eye. "Honey, I'm sorry to say, but I don't really believe you. I think something else is going on here. And I really believe it's been going on for a long time."

"Nothing is going on. I'm just a very clumsy person. I eat everyday, but I just bruise and-…"

"Schiza, tell me what's really going on. Please. It's very important for me to know."

"I already told you, nothing is going on! I'm fine!" she began to shout.

"Something's going on, Schiza. I can tell. You're a very smart little girl and you know very well that something's going on too. You're just not telling me the truth."

"I am telling the truth! Why can't you leave me alone? I don't want to be here! There's nothing I need to tell you!"

The nurse was silent after her yelling. It seemed to be an eternity to Schiza as she opened the door and walked to the sink, getting out cotton balls, peroxide, and bandages. She put a little of the peroxide on the cotton balls, dabbing her fingers. "This will sting a little, hun."

The stinging didn't bother her that much. Just yesterday she experienced a worse stinging sensation than this. When she was finished, she wrapped her fingers in band-aids.

"I'll let you go for now, honey. But I want to see you back in a few days to see how those wounds are healing up, okay?"

She said nothing as she left her office. She was glad that she had that over with, but yet she was angry that she wanted to see her again in a couple days. It meant that they weren't going to give up on this.

She knew that they were only trying to help, but she felt hopeless about her situation. She felt that no matter what, even if they found out her parents were abusing her, there was nothing they could do. Her parents would just find out a way to hurt her even more.

When Schiza left completely, the nurse called the principal.

"Mr. Burton?"

"Yes Mrs. Runnell?"

"I'm calling you because I'm very concerned about Schiza. I think we have an abuse situation in our hands."

The bus dropped her off at her house. When she always returned home from school she was hit with a wave of grief. She wished she could stay in the school forever, forgetting about the house and her parents and just live inside it. She enjoyed learning, she could stay with her friends, she would get a hot meal everyday, and she wouldn't have to deal with all the madness. She wished she could one day speak up about the abuse, tell them that she wanted to live inside the school, and promise to be good, but she knew it wouldn't happen. They wouldn't let her in even if she was the holiest kid alive.

She expected her parents to at least leave her alone enough for her to do her schoolwork. But immediately upon arriving home, her mother quickly turned her around to face her.

"What the hell did you tell your teachers this time? Huh?" she screamed.

"I told them nothing mom, I swear…"

"You told them that I abuse you, huh? You told them that I'm such a horrible mother and I beat you, huh? You lying sack of shit!" She began to shake her erratically.

"No I didn't! I swear! I did went to the nurse but I didn't tell her anything!" she cried.

"That's a damned lie and I know it. The damn nurse called me and I had to explain to her that what you told her wasn't true! Do I really need to go through all this shit just to explain to them that you liked to make up stories? You bastard child, I'll make you pay for this!"

She knew what was coming. She got out the belt. She began to whip her, Schiza straining all her effort not to cry. She knew if she cried, she would just whip her even harder. And this was the worst whipping she possibly ever received. She lashed her many times, her body raw and red. And she badly wanted to scream. No mommy, stop! What are you doing? Please, stop! But her mother would only whip her harder, wanting to hear her scream even louder. It was an anesthetic to her, to take all of her rage out. She could only take her pain in silence.

When she was done, the searing pain still remained and she kicked her to the floor. "Go to your fucking room until I fucking say you can come out you little shit! Don't you ever tell them those fucking lies!" She threw Schiza into her room, once again locking the door. She was trapped once again.

As soon as she heard her stomp away, she let it all go. The tears streamed down her face, weeping loudly. She didn't care anymore, she would let herself cry like an infant. She hid her face in an attempt to muffle it, but it was no use. She howled loudly in pain and sorrow.

"Schiza."

She stopped as soon as she heard something call her name. Her heart jumped when suddenly a hand began to try to wipe away the tears.

"I hate it when you cry…"

Suddenly, she felt herself being embraced. She hid her face into this mysterious body, still sniffling and sobbing. The body felt soft, plush, and warm, and for some reason it made her feel better. She nuzzled this body, feeling what seemed to be fur.

"Please stop crying, Schiza. It saddens me to see you this way."

She looked up at this thing that was hugging her, still with tears in her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who this was.

It was Sonic. He was alive, real, breathing, and moving. Her stuffed animal that always sat in her bed, staring at her and doing nothing as she hugged it tightly, was real. And he was hugging her. As if she was the stuffed animal.

He hugged her even tighter. "I promise you that I'll never let them hurt you again. I never want to see you cry again."

She buried her face into him. She didn't want to go over how this happened. As far as she was concerned, she wanted to stay with him until all the sorrow was drained out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schiza talks to Sonic, who's now real, planning on skipping a day of school to find out what Sonic wants to show her.

The window was open, the breeze drifting inside, with the curtains swaying slowly. It was a cool, brisk night, with many lights illuminating the outside. It's been hours since she was inside her room, and since she was talking to her friend who was now alive, Sonic.

"Yeah, you told me before about your parents. They seem to have real issues if they think hurting their own child would be okay," he said as he sat on the edge of her bed, nodding.

"I…really do hate them, Sonic. My mom was never like this until she got married to my dad. Things then changed and just got pretty bad." She looked down on her knees. "My dad threatens and hurts my mom and she takes out her anger on me. I was crying so bad because she got out the belt and began to whip me because the nurse in my school thinks something is wrong. I know she's trying to help, but I feel like she's making things even worse," she whispered.

"Well, she's concerned, and I'm sure if she finds out what's going on she can help you…"

"But Sonic!" She was about to yell, but she didn't want to make her mom come back up the stairs. "If she finds out, my parents will kill me! They're so mean and evil that I'm sure that once they find out they'll stab me and probably put me in a dumpster somewhere! You know they'll do it!"

"I'll make sure they don't hurt you." Sonic jumped off the bed, taking a good look at her. "But I don't blame her for getting concerned over what you look like. You're a mess."

"I know, but I don't really think it's my fault. My mom and dad don't let me go to the bathroom very often unless I really need to go, but even then, they look over me and it's really embarrassing. They always want me to go to my room, only go to the kitchen if there's food ready, only go to the bathroom if I really need to go…they don't let me go anywhere in the house by myself because they think I'll mess up the place. The only time I can is when I come back from school and they're not there. My mom says that she doesn't want to deal with me anymore so she sticks me in my room and makes me read Bible verses."

"That's definitely messed up." Sonic began to look at the window, which was open, but had a screen behind it. "Hey, have you ever thought about busting this screen open and going out?"

"Sonic, I don't think we should do that…"

"Well, you probably have seen it all in movies and stuff, but have you ever thought of using your bed sheet as a rope and…"

"I can't do that Sonic! I can't run away! What if they find me and they kill me?"

"They won't," he firmly said. "I know they won't. Trust me."

"It's not a good idea! It's really late anyways. I don't want to go out there at night."

"Good point." He turned around to face her. "Maybe we can do it in the morning. Just play hooky from school for one day. What do you think?"

She didn't want to skip school. It was one of the only things that she actually looked forward to. But she thought more about what would happen if she ran away. She could run away to the woods, deep into it so her parents wouldn't find her. She could live there with just Sonic and live her life in nature. It was one of the things she wished for since she was young.

"Well...are we planning to live out there in the woods?"

"Why would you say that? We're just going to play hooky for one day, and around the time school's over, we can come back here so you don't get in trouble. I know you like school, but come on, we all need a break once in a while from there. I mean, you told me that sometimes the other children make fun of you and you get stressed from schoolwork. Let's take a break!"

Although she wished to live inside the school and she always talked about how she liked keeping her mind busy with academics, she forgot that every day wasn't always a godsend from her house. Some of the other children would laugh at her for her dirty and disheveled appearance. Call her "Schiza the Skeleton" and "Schiza the Mop" for her skin-and-bones thinness and her hair that always looked like a mop. She remembered once that another girl pushed her into the mud, saying that it didn't mattered that she pushed her because she was really dirty before anyways. Many of the other girls also always complained about her smell and also called her "Schiza the Skunk".

She even remembered, for some reason that she still to this day cannot understand, a girl from the 3rd or 4th grade pulled a cruel joke on her. She gave her a present, and when she opened it, it was a bar of soap. "Go take a bath and use it, you skunk!" she sneered before laughing about it with her friends. She actually got so angry that she threw the bar back at her, but it didn't hit her. Despite her anger, the girl continued to laugh at her as she ran down the hall.

"Well…okay Sonic, if it's just for one day. Do you think they'll find out I'm not in school?"

"We'll just make it look like we're getting ready tomorrow, and then we can do whatever we want. Your parents won't know."

She suddenly yawned loudly, trying to cover her mouth. "It's a good idea you get some sleep since tomorrow is going to be a big day," Sonic commented.

"Yeah, you're right…I should've asked you before, but why do you just want to spend a day with me? And how did you become real? Did God answer my prayer?"

"Well," he began. "To be honest Schiza, there's something I want to show you, and it's very important."

"What is it?" she questioned, with her brown eyes looking expectantly at him.

"I can't tell you just yet. But it's something that'll take the load off, trust me. I can't tell you how I'm real either, because…I don't know."

"You really don't know? So you just suddenly became real?"

"I don't know, I'm not exactly sure. But it would be a good idea if you get some rest."

"Okay then…" she whispered, as she layed down on her bed. She was about to reach for her blankets until Sonic put them over her body, tucking her in. "Good night Schiza. Sweet dreams."

"You too, Sonic."

When she looked back at him, he was completely stiff and unmoving. He turned back into a stuffed toy.

She looked at this curiously, but her tiredness overwhelmed her mind. She quickly went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schiza explains to Sonic a little about her past.

She heard footsteps come near her door. They were heavy footsteps, and every time she heard them she got a little jump in her heart. The room was dark, except for the light under the door coming from the next room. She began to sweat and shake when the door was opened, revealing a large figure. She could see from the face that this was her father.

She didn't know why her father was here. She was trying to go to sleep and he knew that he should leave her alone. She was afraid to move any part of her body when he came closer to her bed. She didn't move at all when he got on it.

She wanted to scream. But her father told her to keep her trap shut or else he would hit her.

She tried to block out what was happening in her mind. She closed her eyes and tears were streaming down her face. She could still feel it but she thought it would dull the pain if she wasn't witnessing what was happening anymore. When she began to sniffle, her mother still couldn't hear him, but she could hear a clear "shut the fuck up".

She couldn't feel it anymore even though it continued. She felt as if she wasn't there anymore. She felt numb inside as if her body was rotting away. Her crying suddenly stopped, as if she no longer cared. The darkness began to consume her vision, as she began to enter a vast dark abyss.

She woke up sweating all over her bed, feeling as if her chest was being constricted. She began to gasp for air as she sensed her lungs being squeezed.

"Schiza! What's wrong? It's alright, it was just a dream!"

Her chest relaxed when she heard Sonic's voice. Her breathing began to become slower but her heart was still racing.

"Are you okay, Schiza? Did you have a nightmare or something?" he asked, concerned.

She could only nod.

"What was it about?"

She tried to hide the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. She didn't want to upset Sonic again. "I probably never told you this, but…something happened to me when I was in kindergarten, before my parents moved here…"

"You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else, I swear," he reassured her.

A long bridge of silence passed before she answered. "My mom doesn't believe me, but…my dad came into my room one night and raped me. And he continued to do it for several more nights, without my mom knowing. When I told her, she said I was lying again. She said-…"

"Both of your parents are…I hate to say it, but they're just scum. Why would they do that to you? It's absolutely wrong!" he yelled angrily.

"I think they don't even know what's wrong or right anymore. Like you said, they're messed up. And my mom always tries to tell me I'm the one who's messed up. I remember she tried to make me take medicine…"

When she was in the first grade, her mother took her to a psychiatrist. She was confused and wasn't sure why her mother brought her there, but even when she told her doctor that her mom's stories didn't seem to add up (she would say things such as her daughter would go out to the woods and harm defenseless animals just for the fun of it and she threatened her with a knife), her psychiatrist didn't believe her and gave her medication that made her extremely drowsy. Her mother persisted on making her take it that she would threaten to get out the belt if she didn't and even hide it in her food whenever she seemed to "act up". Schiza soon dissected her food in order to avoid accidentally swallowing it, and her mother stopped forcing her to when it became too expensive.

"There's nothing wrong with you. You're not messed up, Your parents however, they're the ones who should be taking those pills. Not you…"

She could only nod. Sometimes she wondered if she really was messed up. Maybe if she wasn't, her parents would stop abusing her. She began to think that there was a big flaw in her. A flaw that only her parents noticed and they were hurting her to correct it. She could only think there was a reason why she was being punished.

"Sonic, I know the sun is up and my mom will probably be here any time now, but I think I know why my parents think I'm messed up."

"Because they're messed up, Schiza! I don't want you to blame yourself for what's going on! Your parents-…"

"I killed a bird once, Sonic. On purpose."

He was silent for a few moments. "Why did you do it?"

The skies were overcast, making the day seem dreary. To Schiza however, it meant it would probably rain. She ran across the side of the house, enjoying the wind blowing in her face as she rushed towards the woods. As she dashed to the entrance, she heard a small "caw!"

She stopped, hearing the bleating. She looked around to find the source of the sound until she heard it again. "Caw!"

She looked down, seeing a small, baby black crow at her feet. It craned its head to look up at her and cawed again.

"A baby crow! Where's your mommy and daddy? I bet they missed you!" she cooed, as she scooped it up with both of her hands. It once again stared at her, uttering another caw.

She thought the crow obviously came from the woods, as there weren't any trees near her house. Although the wooded area was quite large, she felt determined to find the baby raven its home. She continued to carry it, into the forest.

She gazed at the treetops, attempting to find a crow's nest. However, she couldn't see very far and there were too many trees for her to count. They seemed to be spires that were so tall that they broke the sky. She continued to tromp through the woods, leaves burying her feet and getting into her shoes. Although she had no luck at all detecting a crow's nest, she wanted to at least find it, and she thought she could find some way to get the crow back up in the trees. She knew it must've not fallen that high from its nest if it fell and survived.

Her walking ended when she began to hear what seemed to be rapid flapping of wings as she looked beyond the horizon. It became more erratic and loud as she stepped further very slowly. She heard a very loud caw, as she abruptly began to cover her face, dropping the baby raven, as white wings began to thump on her. Her ears were hurting from the bird's earsplitting caw and her face was a little scratched and bleeding from its claws. As she was being attacked she could see this bird had red eyes and a white body. As soon as the little crow called out to its mother, the albino raven was disrupted from its assault and dropped down to see its baby.

The snow white bird hopped around and glanced at it, sensing that there was something not right with its hatchling. It began to get closer to it, scrutinizing its flaw. There was an eerie silence, until the bird screeched at it uproariously, flapping its wings and going back to the edge of the woods. The baby raven was still there, cawing for its mother to come back.

She tried to wipe off the streaks of blood from her face as she talked to it. "That was your mom, wasn't it?" She stared at the horizon, until she heard someone call her name. "Schiza! Where are you? Get back here!"

It was her father. By the time she turned around and scooped the bird up, her father was a few yards away from her. "What are you doing out here? You know you're not supposed to go this far into the woods!"

"I know dad."

He had a quizzical face. "What the hell do you have in your hand? I already told you Schiza, you can't have a damn pet! When will you learn?"

"But it's a baby crow, dad. It was abandoned by its mom…" she mumbled, looking at it.

"You better get back in the damn yard. You know your mother doesn't want a disgusting animal in the house. All they will do is make a mess and destroy the house."

The crow began to caw mournfully, calling for its mother. It wouldn't stop, angering her father.

"Schiza, make that damn bird shut up!"

"It's calling for its mom, dad…"

"I don't give a shit! Shut it up or I'll shut it up myself!"

"Be quiet little bird…" she whispered to it quickly, until her dad interrupted her.

"Schiza, you better come right back to the yard! You know you're not allowed out here! If I see you with that disease-ridden bird when I get back outside, trying to make us have it as a pet, or if I even hear the damned thing, I'll put your hand on the damn stove again so you'll finally get that rule in your head!" Her father turned around and began to walk away, telling Schiza to come with him back to the yard.

She was always afraid of her father, but she was even more frightened of him when he threatened to burn her on the stove. They did it before once, forcing her hand on the metal burning red rings, her hand suffering from a major painful burn. They only forced her hand on it for a few seconds, but she was still recovering from when they did it. She certainly didn't want to feel it again.

She was back in the yard, her father going back inside the house. She was left alone with her cloudy skies and her baby crow.

The crow was abandoned by its mother. She wanted to take care of it, but her parents definitely wouldn't allow it, else they would punish her severely. If her father even saw her with the crow again, he would give her the punishment she hated the most. She thought of how terrible it would be for the crow to starve to death, without anyone to care for it…the very thought of it made her weep. She wondered why this world seemed to be so cruel to her. She was forced to live with her two unloving parents and there seemed to be no way out of it. She wished sometimes that one day, she would suddenly die. Although her mother always told her she would burn in Hell for whatever evil deeds she committed, she felt like Hell would probably be a better place than the world she was forced to live in.

If she was going to Hell anyways, it wouldn't matter whatever God thought about ending the crow's suffering. Was she really as evil as her mother thought?

She saw her father through one of the windows, coming down the stairs. He was about to enter the yard.

She couldn't take it anymore. The fear of being burned again consumed her mind. She knew if she left the bird alone, it would cry and her father would punish her. She found a wooden plank near her. The only thought that came out of her terrified mind was to kill the bird. She didn't want to do it, but she thought it wouldn't matter if her soul was forever eternally damned, as her mother kept repeating to her.

She set the bird down on the grass, it crying once more. She quickly grabbed the plank near her, then rose it up in the air.

"I really don't want to do this, baby crow…" she sniffled. "I'm sorry…"

"I swung it with all my might, Sonic. I killed it. I-…I really didn't want to! But my dad scares me!" She suddenly heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She saw that Sonic was back into being a stuffed animal. Her mother unlocked the door, opening it.

"Are you ready for school," she asked with no emotion.

"Yes mom, I'm ready."

"Go to the bus now. You're running late."

As soon as her mother turned around, she grabbed Sonic and her backpack and dashed down the stairs. As soon as she left the house and walked towards the bus stop, she could hear Sonic's voice.

"Go to the woods Schiza. Turn around before your parents see you."

She peeked at the windows of her house. Her parents weren't looking out of them, making sure she was going to the bus stop. They had curtains all in front of them.

She dashed down to the entrance of the woods, with the toy Sonic in hand.


	5. Chapter 5

When she was inside the forest, she saw that Sonic was back into a living, breathing hedgehog. He was holding onto her hand as he was taking her deeper in the woods.

"Where are we going, Sonic? What are we going to do?" she asked.

"There's something I want to show you. I'm going to take you pretty deep in the woods and I'm going to start speeding up. Hold on tight."

Sonic gripped her hand tighter as he began to pick up his pace. Schiza began to run to keep up with him as many leaves began to flutter from their legs. Sonic was indeed fast and Schiza felt her legs throbbing, but she was excited to see what he had in store for her. They seemed to pass so many trees that she lost count of them and she thought her legs were going to fall off until Sonic finally stopped. They were right in front of a hill, topped with thick grasses and many white flowers that appeared as if they just bloomed.

"Jump on my back Schiza. I'll make this a lot easier for you. Your legs are probably tired from all that running," he said as he looked at her. Schiza was at first reluctant, thinking she would be putting too much stress for the hedgehog, but after Sonic reassured her it was all right, she hopped on his back, Sonic holding onto her legs. "Here we go!"

He began to dash up the hill, picking up speed and scaling it with no issues. Schiza looked around as she grasped him, seeing many flowers dotting the fields. They were mostly white and blue, swaying gently in the breeze. As they got further up the hill she noticed that they seemed to glow a little brighter as the woods got darker. She wasn't sure if this was her imagination, but before she could ponder it Sonic climbed to the top with relative ease.

"It's going to start getting darker around here. Hold onto my hand again so I don't lose you." She followed his order, Sonic carefully walking through the trees.

As they progressed further, the trees began to become larger and more numerous, so much that it blocked the sun's light. As it grew dimmer, she glanced at the many flowers that began to gather around them and noticed they were glowing luminously through this darkness. It was an eerie sight, but she realized that where Sonic was taking her was probably a beautiful place she never saw before in this forest. She was even surprised that she didn't accidentally stumble onto this area.

As the forest seemed to turn pitch black except for the radiant flowers on the ground, Sonic and Schiza squeezed through what felt like a large bush, their bodies slightly being scratched from the branches. "We're here, Schiza."

She couldn't believe her eyes. This part of the forest was a gorgeous sight. They were in an open area near a dark blue, glittering pond coming from the stream up ahead, many shimmering flowers of all kinds spread over the land. The stream was flowing down as many rocks were gathered at the sides, making a small waterfall that gushed out and creating some nice white noise. She could hear hundreds of crickets chirping, creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

"This place is beautiful Sonic! Is this what you wanted to show me?" she questioned as she looked at his face.

"Yes, and here's something I need to explain to you about this place," he replied as he crouched to her.

"This is a very secret part of these woods. No one has been able to find it, except us. This is our haven, Schiza. This is where we go to when we want to escape from your parents. Trust me, your parents will never find you here. This is a place meant to escape from your troubles, and I'll let you come here whenever you want."

"Is this…real, Sonic? Is this really…"

"Let's say this is a place that our eyes can only see. No one can bother us here, so we can play for as long as we want."

She carefully digested his words into her mind, pausing for a moment. Then she asked, "So can we stay here forever?"

"Well…we can't really do that."

"Why not?"

He was silent for a few moments. "As much as I'd like to run away from your parents, I don't want you here for the rest of your life. We have to go home eventually, but trust me, if we stay out here for too long and your parents get mad, I'll protect you from them. Believe me."

"Also…Sonic?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have another piggyback ride?"

"You already know the answer to that." He picked her up, letting her hold onto his body while he kept her legs aloft. "Let's go explore this place. Ready Schiza?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, hold on tight!" He sprinted across the fields, Schiza laughing happily and enjoying the ride.

As they traversed through the forest, Sonic affectionately played many games with her such as hide and seek and tag (Sonic slowed down a lot to play fair with her), all the while marveling the beauty of the land. After a few hours, they were relaxing by the creek, Sonic laying down on his stomach and Schiza sitting, speaking to him while petting and scratching him behind the ears.

"I had a lot of fun today, Sonic. I'm glad I decided to skip school so I could spend time with you."

"I'm glad I suggested it," he calmly replied.

"This actually reminds me back when my dad…loved me. He actually spent a lot of time with me and played with me back when I was a little younger…"

"He was actually nice to you at some point?" he inquired, surprised.

"Yes. I actually loved my dad back then. My mom used to been nice too. She would do anything for me. She actually said once that she loved me. And I really don't know what happened to those days, Sonic. Something went wrong. I think I…must've made God mad at me."

He looked at her. "You couldn't have done something so bad that God would've cursed you. You're just a kid, Schiza."

"But I'm wondering if all this time my mom is right. What if I actually had some kind of evilness inside me, something I was born with and God hated me for? What if…"

"You don't Schiza. Stop blaming yourself, please. I think you're a very smart, special…"

"I feel like I did a lot of bad things, Sonic! What if…what if I was somehow the devil's daughter or something? That's what I feel like I am! I'm evil, I know it! I'm…" She suddenly felt warmth as Sonic hugged her again. "You're not. I know you aren't. If you were so evil, then why do I think you're a good person?"

She didn't want to be let go. She felt so relaxed and safe. Her eyes began to close slowly as she yawned, Sonic's embrace lulling her to sleep.

It was about the late afternoon when Schiza opened her eyes, still in Sonic's clasp. She looked up at him, his eyes shut. He had also fallen asleep.

"Sonic. Sonic, wake up," she whispered as she gently shook him.

"Huh…oh, what is it, Schiza? Sorry, I guess I fell asleep too..." he said with a yawn.

"We have to get back. You said we should go back home by the time school's over and it looks like it's getting late…"

"Oh!" he exclaimed, his eyes fully opened, standing up. "It is! We have to hurry before your parents notice something is up!" As soon as Schiza rose, Sonic grabbed her hand and quickly darted out of the secret forest with her in tow. As they were going down the hill, she could only look behind her, missing it already.

They were now at the front of the house, Schiza noticing the skies have become a bright goldenrod with streaks of ruby redness. The sun was just now setting. She was very late.

She was extremely fearful of what would happen. Her parents would probably know by now that she disobeyed them and didn't come home right after school, or worse, she skipped it. She wanted to run away and go back to the woods with Sonic. She never wanted to come back home and live the rest of her days there. However, after a few minutes of staring at the door, she finally knocked.

Her heart's pulse began to speed up as soon as the door opened. She could see it was her dad, looking genuinely surprised that his daughter was back. "Schiza, where the hell have you been?"

He saw her clothes a little messy, holding onto her stuffed Sonic toy. She was quiet.

"I said, where in the sam hell you've been Schiza? Come inside right now!"

He moved to the side, allowing Schiza to slowly inch her way inside the house. As soon as she was inside, her mother was there as well.

"Schiza, I got a call from your school, and they said you weren't there. What in the hell is that all about, Schiza?"

She looked down on the floor, then back at her Sonic toy. I'll protect you from your parents, trust me.

She decided to tell the truth. "I skipped school today."

"What? You skipped school?" her father sharply asked.

"Yes," she calmly responded.

"I always knew you were such a nasty troublemaker! First thing you do is break our wedding photo, then playing hooky from school, then next, you're failing school and becoming even more of something our family has to be ashamed of! You little shit!"

She said nothing, not even caring what her mother was saying. "You don't give a rat's ass, do you? I'm going to put you on the right track by beating your little ass!" She held up her hand, preparing to smack Schiza across the face. She cowered, ready to receive the blow.

Despite her mother's incredible rage, her hand was still in the air, shaking. Schiza opened one eye to see why her mother hasn't hit her yet.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Roseanna? Beat her ass!" her father yelled.

"You know what?" she said, lowering her hand. "She isn't even fucking worth my time. This girl is just going down a downward spiral and beating her doesn't seem to do anything because she's that damned cocky. Just…just!" she screeched, pointing her finger to the stairs. "Just go to your room! I'll find another punishment for you later. You're just not even worth it right now."

She obeyed her mother without question. She went up the stairs and into her room, shutting the door.

"Why the hell didn't you punish her, Roseanna? You knew she deserved it!" She could hear her father scream at her.

"I just didn't want to, Jack. I don't know why, but she's just not worth my time. Trust me, I'll punish her later."

"But she skipped school! She went out in the fucking woods! Are you going to become lenient on her punishment? That's bullshit!"

"Get your hands off of me, Jack!" her mother screamed. She knew this was now the time to cover her ears. She knew if she didn't, she would hear screams of pain, punching, kicking, and the walls shaking. Today she wanted to avoid it at all possible.

As soon as she uncovered them, she heard a door slamming, then a car engine running. Either her mother or father was leaving the house. For now.

She looked back at Sonic, who was still a toy. She knew her mother didn't want to hit her, because, somehow, Sonic was able to make her change her mind. She didn't know he did, but she was actually saved from being tortured.

"Thank you for protecting me Sonic. I always did believe in you." She gave him a small kiss on his cheek, then began to do her schoolwork from yesterday. She thought she might as well get them done when she came back to school tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

It was another day of school and she knew that this time, she would go with a smile on her face. She was a day behind on her schoolwork, but she felt as if the break was needed.

When she woke up and got ready, however, Sonic was back into his original form. He laid there, along with her other stuffed animals, staring into space endlessly.

"Sonic, why won't you move?" She picked him up, glancing at his eyes. "I wanted to talk to you before I went to school today…" She looked around, searching for her backpack, as she knew her mother would be here at any given moment. She usually put it beside the door, so she could quickly pick it up when she was ready.

She easily found her backpack on her desk, which she didn't remember putting it there, but it wasn't a big issue to her. However, there was a note on the desk and a pencil beside it. She picked it up, expecting it to be her work, but right away, she could tell it wasn't her handwriting. Her writing was more precise and clear than this.

It was a note that someone wrote. She began to read it.

Schiza,

I can't talk to you today. I know that right when it's morning I'll be back into a stuffed animal. I really don't know why that is, but yet it made me realize something as well.

I have realized that the only person I am real to is you. I turn back into a toy when anyone else is around. But like you, I have a problem myself.

To everyone else, I am just stitches. I cannot move, talk, anything. I get frustrated when I see you talk with your parents and they call you names. I want to be able to stop them myself physically, and I know that because of this, I can't always help you.

I want to be real, Schiza. Like you. I want to always be able to move and talk and experience things. As I realized I cannot help you more than I really can, I did get depressed. I believe even though all I have inside me is stuffing, I have a heart.

As you tell me your problems, I told you mine. I wish one day I can become real. If that ever happens, I will get you out of here and maybe we can travel the world. I know you like nature, so maybe one day we can try to go to a place that your parents can never find you, like another country. Hedgehogs in your world live in Africa or Europe, right? Maybe I'll really like Africa, and maybe you will too.

I'm sorry I can't talk to you right when you wake up because I can feel myself getting stitched up. I hope you enjoy school today and hopefully they won't give you too much schoolwork because of me thinking you should skip a day.

Sonic

As soon as she finished the note, she peeked right back at him. He was still sitting there with Lucky and Rosie, unmoving.

"I wished you were real too, Sonic…" she said in a soft voice.

The door opened, her father coming inside her room. "Go to the bus. Now."

She once again scrambled down the stairs, getting out the door and arriving at the bus stop, just in time for the bus.

Right in the middle of one of her classes, she heard it again. "Schiza Mahogany to the Nurse's Office please. Schiza Mahogany to the Nurse's Office."

Again? she thought, as she got out of her desk and went down the hall. She really didn't want to go back to the nurse's office. She wouldn't mind if she was only checking on the cuts on her fingers, but she knew it wasn't just that. It never was.

"Mrs. Runnell?"

"Yes Schiza, I was expecting you. Come inside my office."

She always knew come inside my office meant she wanted to talk to her more than just the cuts and bruises she had. She wanted to know where they were from, and her excuses weren't an acceptable answer.

When she went inside, she also saw the principal, Mr. Burton. He looked at her with a very concerned façade. She knew this was bad. Really bad.

"Schiza, Mr. Burton and I wanted you in here so we can ask you some questions. Is that okay?"

"Yes…" she mumbled, while fiddling around with her fingers.

"Schiza, we want to know what your home situation is like. What is it like when you get back home from school?"

She looked back down at her hands, not meeting eye contact when she answered. "It's fine. I get dinner when I come back home."

"We're going to need more of an answer than that, Schiza. We want you to tell us what it's really like inside your home, using good details. Try your best," Mr. Burton said.

She sweat a little. "My mom and dad greet me…ask me how was school…I eat dinner…I go to my room and work on schoolwork…then I watch TV until it's time to go to bed."

They looked at her questioningly, then Mrs. Runnell asked, "Schiza, when you do something bad, how do your parents react? Do they ground you, tell you what you're doing isn't right and correct it, or do they…"

"They ground me sometimes. Tell me what's the right thing to do."

"Well, I'm asking that because Schiza, you have bruises and cuts on your body. And I don't believe you when you say you 'fell down the stairs'. What really happened, Schiza?"

"My parents don't hit me just so you know. They're good parents," she muttered, sweating a little more, squirming in her chair.

"How about your eating, Schiza? Do you eat three square meals a day?"

"Yes. I eat breakfast before I go to school, I eat lunch here, then they make dinner when I come back home."

"I know you eat lunch here whenever you can Schiza, but you're skin and bones. I can't really believe you eat three meals a day with a look like that," Mr. Burton stated.

"I do! I just don't eat that much!"

"Calm down Schiza. We just want to know, okay? You're not in trouble. When we're done talking to you you'll go back to class. Now, where were you yesterday, Schiza? Were you sick?"

"Yes. I had a cold."

Mr. Burton and the nurse looked at each other for a moment, then he said, "Schiza, I know it's hard, but look at me and listen. We're very concerned about you. We want you to tell the truth. Do your parents abuse you?"

"No. They don't."

"Where are the cuts and bruises from? Do they let you get a shower or bath everyday?"

"I already told you, I fell down the stairs and they're from paper cuts! And…and…"

"Tell us, Schiza. Tell us the truth. I talked to your mom a few days ago. She doesn't seem right in the head at all, and I can tell something is going on."

She had it. She had it with all the excuses, the lies, and the torture she goes through every time the nurse asks her these questions. She thought the only thing she can do to leave her alone was to finally tell the truth. There was no other way out of it. She tried to hide her tears as she sobbed. "My parents do abuse me! They hit me, they call me names like little shit, they lock me in my room, they barely give me a chance to take a shower, they won't let me do anything, they barely let me eat! I hate them, I hate them! They abuse me and I wished they were dead!" she shouted, her crying becoming too much to handle. She hid her face as she wept.

The nurse walked over to Schiza, her hand gently lifting her head as she placed it under her chin. "It's okay, Schiza. I want to say to you that I really appreciate you telling us. Things are going to get better from here, I promise."

"But…but…what if they kill me? They'll kill me, Mrs. Runnell!"

"We're going to send in somebody to help you, Schiza. We promise," Mr. Burton replied.

"As I promise Schiza, you'll be sent back to class. Remember, you're not in trouble. Thank you very much for your cooperation."

Schiza was quiet as she walked out of the office and back into the halls.

She was shocked and angry at herself. She let the secret she kept for all these years out, and her parents were going to kill her! She was going to die! She knew they wouldn't help her at all, they just wanted her to spit it out so her parents can punish her more! But she thought she deserved it. She deserved it for crying and telling them the truth. She deserved to get slapped right across the face, to get beat, to get whipped, to have her hand on a flaming hot stove…she deserved it after telling them all about it. She knew she was a goner.

"Mr. Burton, we're going to have to call child protective services and have them assess the situation. She really can't go on like this. I don't want to see that poor girl suffer any more."

They called the number, speaking to a lady as they explained Schiza's situation.

"I'll see what's going on tonight. If this is all true, we definitely can't have this go on any longer and we'll put her in foster care and have her parents sent to jail. We'll also send her into a foster home with a police officer tomorrow."

Return to To


	7. Chapter 7

She walked inside the house, her footsteps being the only sound she heard. The house was completely quiet and mostly dark. She expected her parents to scream at her for her revealing everything, but they weren't here. She would've wondered where they went, but she was overjoyed that she was safe. For now. She rushed up the stairs and shut the door to her room, being greeted by Sonic.

"Hey Schiza, was school okay?"

"Yeah. They didn't give me too much work, so I think I'll manage." She was still for a moment, looking at him. "I read your letter."

"Yeah, I figured you would." He was silent as well, until Schiza piped, "I do wish you were real Sonic. You're real to me but I wished you could come alive and teach my parents a lesson."

"If that happened though, I wouldn't be any better than your parents."

"What do you mean, Sonic? You know they deserved it!"

He crouched down again. "Maybe so, but beating your parents up so they can learn a lesson? I would be treating them like they treat you, and that wouldn't make me any better than them. Learn to not stoop to your enemies' level, or you just will be the same as them. Understand?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good. That's a lesson you should live by, Schiza. I don't want you to ever be like your parents. You're too smart and nice for that. Is that understood?"

She nodded again.

"Good. Say, I don't know where your parents are at, but that means we have full range of the house for a while. What do you want to do?"

"Can we get out the plates and teacups and have a tea party? I'm sure Rosy and Lucky would like to go too."

A tea party wasn't exactly what Sonic had in mind, but he agreed. "Sure. We can do that."

"Yay!" she cheered, as they both walked down the stairs into the kitchen.

"I don't know why we have to go to her school, Roseanna. I think Schiza told them something."

"I'm sure it's about her failing grades. That child doesn't even care about school anymore. We're going to have to do something even more drastic."

"You should've punished her. I'm sure she's back at home, destroying everything."

"Don't blame me for this! You didn't punish her either!"

"I'm not going to get into it right now, Roseanna. We're here," he said, as he drove up at the school parking lot.

As they entered the school office, they met Mrs. Runnell and Mr. Burton, who were standing beside the door to their conference room. "Mr. and Mrs. Mahogany, we've been expecting you. Come inside and we'll talk."

After they shook hands they sat down on a chair beside a very wide table, both of them giving Mr. Burton and Mrs. Runnell a dead-eyed stare.

"Thank you for coming. We wanted to talk to you because we were concerned about Schiza…"

"What is it? Is she failing her classes?" her mother spoke quickly.

"Well, no. She's actually doing quite well. The reason we called you here is that we wanted to ask you a few questions."

"What kind of questions?" Jack bluntly asked.

"They're about Schiza and her living situation. Now…"

"We always knew something was wrong with her, Mr. Burton," Roseanna interrupted. "When she was a baby, something was wrong. She had very long crying fits and no matter what I did she wouldn't go to sleep! Then when she became a toddler, she…"

"Mrs. Mahogany, we didn't even ask you a question. I think Schiza is a good kid, you have nothing to worry about."

"She always had issues, you know. I think she's sociopathic. I saw her go to the woods and kill innocent defenseless animals. I think I even saw her one time crucify a mouse!"

"Mrs. Mahogany, please! Can we ask questions about her home situation? We aren't asking about her behavior!" Mr. Burton exclaimed sternly.

Roseanna was silent, breaking her stare. Jack grunted, his brow furrowing.

"Thank you. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Mahogany, does Schiza eat breakfast and dinner everyday? I know whenever she can, she eats lunch here, but I'm wondering why she looks so skinny."

"She's anorexic. She never eats anything we give her. We even try to give her her favorite foods and she won't even eat a bite," Jack stated matter-of-factly.

"Was she always concerned about her weight?"

"Yes, because she always wanted to be like one of her favorite cartoon characters! You know, cartoons these days, making everyone so skinny! We're about at our wit's end to get her to eat!"

"But she eats lunch here, Mrs. Mahogany. If she was anorexic, she wouldn't even eat here…"

"Probably not much though, is it?"

"Actually, she eats her food like no tomorrow. She even eats the foods she doesn't like."

"And then throwing it up! She purges, you know!"

"This is ridiculous, you two," the nurse replied, a little irritated with their excuses. "From what I know of those disorders, it's extremely rare to even find a child with that condition. And I absolutely don't think Schiza fits the profile."

"Are you saying we starve her? How dare you!" Roseanna exasperated.

"We're not accusing you of that, Mrs. Mahogany! Maybe she can't eat because you have very little money to feed her…"

"We don't starve her! We treat Schiza like any other child, even if she does have problems! Don't accuse us of abusing her!" Jack screamed, pointing a finger at him.

"We weren't, Mr. Mahogany! Calm down please!"

"Yes you were! You called us here because Schiza was making stories up again, wasn't she? She's a pathological liar too! Her psychiatrist diagnosed her with that!"

"Will you two calm down! We just wanted you here so we can…"

"I've had enough! We swear to you that Schiza's fine, she's just a liar and hurts herself to make it look like we abuse her! She dwells on attention and you're not helping her with that issue! We're leaving!" Jack and Roseanna stormed out of the office door, slamming it shut. The secretaries were wondering what happened that made them so angry, as they immediately marched out of the office and back outside to the parking lot.

"I'm really positive that this is going on, Mr. Burton. If nothing was wrong, they wouldn't react like that. I just hope that bought us enough time so Mrs. Remington will be at their house by the time they arrive back."

Mr. Burton looked down on the table, sullen. "I hope so. I really do. I think Schiza is going through a lot and I wished it will end right now."

Schiza and Sonic were back inside her room, with a small table and many plates and cups arranged on it. The tea kettle and plates were plastic, not china as Schiza wished they would be. Some food was on the plates, Schiza thinking she was lucky to find small lemon snack cakes in the pantry. However, she knew it wasn't a good idea to put actual tea in the tea kettle and wasn't sure on how to make it, so she used lemonade. Her other stuffed animals, Rosy and Lucky, were wearing small doll dresses just for the party. Sonic did want to make Schiza happy, but he was glad she saved him the embarrassment.

"More tea, Sonic?" she asked, about to pour lemonade in his small cup.

"No, maybe later," he answered, as he took a bite of the lemon cake. It was only a small bite, as he thought Schiza deserved it more than him.

"Sonic, maybe you don't know, but why are you only real to me? Why are you just a toy to everyone else?"

"I really don't know, Schiza. I really don't like being a stuffed animal though. Although you hug me and everything, I can't really do anything. And I hate it. When you're away at school…" he paused. "I'm there. Alone. And when your parents come in here, I can't do much either. It sucks…"

"Yeah, I don't think I'd like to be a toy either. Especially with a boy who would probably just rip your head off."

"I'm lucky that I have you then, huh?" he said, as he took another small bite of his cake.

She stared at her food, thinking solemnly. "That's why I took Lucky with me, Sonic. Right when someone sees the toy has something like a missing eye, they get rid of it. Not me. I don't want to throw her away like she's a piece of trash."

"Your stuffed animals…and me…we're pretty much the only thing you have, aren't we?"

"Yes. I do have a few friends at school Sonic, but they don't make me feel better after my parents hurt me. They don't even know what's going on…" she mumbled.

"Did you ever tell anyone about your parents?"

"I just did today, Sonic. I told my nurse. I told my principal. They know now."

Sonic looked at her, surprised. "What are they going to do now? They should do something about this."

"I really don't know. They told me things were going to be better from now on though. I don't know how they can do that. I…I just think they want my mom and dad mad! They can't do anything!"

"But I'm sure they're very concerned, Schiza. I think they are-…"

"No!" she shouted. "They're just making things worse! They know I'm evil too! They just want to hurt me!"

"Schiza, please…" Sonic whispered desperately.

"I should've never told them! They should've never found out! I hate myself! I hate myself for telling them…"

The guilt and the self-hatred became too much for her to handle. She burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Sonic immediately became distressed, holding her close to his body. "Schiza, please don't cry. Please don't hate yourself…"

"My mom was right, Sonic! I'm a very bad person! I deserve all of this, except you! I don't deserve you! You're nice to me!" she yelled during sobs.

"That's not true! None of that is true, your mother is a liar!"

"I…I…" she stammered. "I wished I was dead!"

Sonic couldn't believe what she just said. It shocked him deeply. Schiza looked up at him, tears streaking her face. Sonic was completely wide-eyed, with no expression.

"Sonic…are you…okay?"

As she hugged him, she felt something wet on her hands. She quickly let go of him, observing what was on them.

It was blood.

"Sonic…what's going on? Why are you bleeding?"

His expression stayed the same as a drop of blood began to emerge from his eye. It landed on Schiza's face.

Blood began to seep from his hands, his gloves now stained and red. Schiza was now very scared, thinking her only best friend, Sonic, was dying.

"Sonic! Sonic!" she screamed. "Don't die! Please don't die! I didn't mean it, I swear!" She didn't care that his body began to bleed. She put her head against it, her hair being smeared with blood.

"I don't want to die! I really don't! Please don't die! I…I…I love you!"

He finally moved, his expression changing. The bleeding stopped, but he and Schiza were still covered with it. "Schiza? Is that you?" he asked, dazed.

"Sonic, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't want to hurt you! Please don't die!"

"What do you mean…" He was taken aback by the blood on his hands, face, and chest. "Shit! What happened, Schiza? How is there blood everywhere? Shit, shit, shit!"

"I said something very bad, Sonic. And I think you started to die."

"Your parents can't see you this way! Let's get cleaned up! Shit!" He hurried down the stairs, with Schiza in tow, rushing into the bathroom door.

Her parents walked up the driveway of their house, seeing someone they didn't recognize at all. "Shit Roseanna, someone's here! Goddamnit!"

They kept their composure when they met this lady, who looked very professional, holding a clipboard. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Mahogany, I'm Gale Remington, and I'm part of child protective services. Is it okay if I come into your house?"

Jack sighed, irritated. "Yes, it's alright."

Roseanna opened the door for her, allowing her inside. "Thank you Mrs. Mahogany, allow me to explain why I'm here. I got a call from Washington Elementary School that they're very concerned about your daughter Schiza and I want to assess the situation here. Can we sit down and talk in the living room?"

They walked into the living room, Gale noticing that both of her parents were quickly shuffling their feet to the couch, as if they were angry.

"Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions before I look around the house, okay? Where's Schiza? I think she needs to participate in this discussion."

"She's in her room. I don't think she needs to be bothered, because she has a lot of schoolwork to catch up on," her father spoke.

"Is that so? Well, how about I talk to her later then? Because it's very important I hear what she has to say."

"Don't believe everything she says. Mrs. Remington. You see, I took Schiza to the psychiatrist before and he said she was a pathological liar. She likes to make up stories on how we abuse her and never feed her, you know. She's only doing this to get attention!"

The social worker paused for a moment, writing what she said on her clipboard. "Now, about that…do you feed her when she's hungry? Do you serve her breakfast, lunch, and dinner?"

"Yes, but she very rarely eats what we give her. The child is anorexic and we just don't know what to do with her."

"She's anorexic? How old is she?"

"She's 7 years old."

"And she's anorexic?" she repeated, astonished. "Is she obsessed by how much she weighs and is worried about getting fat?"

Sonic wrung a washcloth, then began to wipe it on Schiza's face. "I don't know how this happened, Schiza. I didn't know when I'm like this I can bleed. And I think I just heard your parents come through the door. We really got to get rid of this blood or else they're going to think you just went and killed an animal."

"Yes, she is! We tried to explain it to the nurse, but Schiza always wanted to be like this cartoon character she sees on the TV. She thinks she's so fat that she's starving herself and purging just to get that skinny!"

"I see. Now, how do you correct her when she does something bad?"

"That child is always doing bad things that there's nothing we can do for her! We never allow her into the woods because she will find a random animal and kill it. She's very sociopathic that she doesn't listen to anyone, not even us!"

"But I heard from the school that Schiza is actually very well-behaved…"

"It's an act!" Roseanna screeched. "She wants you to think she's this very kind and loving child when really she just wants something from you and will do anything to get your attention! She's manipulative and she's very attention-mongering…"

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Mahogany, I want to see Schiza for myself so I can make a good analysis on her. You said she was in her room, right?"

She got up from her seat and went out into the small hallway. "Where is her room? Upstairs?"

They didn't answer her. As she took her steps up the stairs, she felt something sticky on the rails. "What on earth is…" She slowly lifted her hand off of the rail, revealing the palm of it to her eyes. It was completely smudged in blood.

"This is…blood! What's going on here!"

"I told you! I told you!" she shrieked. "She's been killing animals from the woods into her room! She's sacrificing it to Satan!"

Gale ignored her, analyzing more of the stairs. She saw at the bottom there were some drops of blood stained on the carpet. As she uncovered more blood stains she frantically rushed up the stairs, going inside her room, which she noticed at the door were many locks. As she went inside, she saw that what looked like a tea party was taking place with half-eaten lemon cakes, and a big spot of blood on the floor. She grimaced at the sight of this that she quickly shut the door.

"Something's going on here! There's a big puddle of blood in your child's room and she's not here! Mr. and Mrs. Mahogany, I'm extremely concerned and if I find out you've done something to this child…"

"We didn't do anything! My wife is right; she's been taking her killing up in her room while we weren't around! We knew she would do something like this while we were gone!"

"I highly doubt she would do something like that based on her school records! Where is she?" she demanded.

"Damn it, I can hear them! And the blood on your shirt won't come off!" Sonic furiously dabbed her shirt with the bloody washcloth, his efforts in vain.

Schiza could hear footsteps rushing towards the door. They were too late. Her parents would scream at her for the mess they caused all over the floors and the staircase. They would also find out that she told the school faculty that she was being abused. They would be boiling in rage when they see her face. She knew she was going to be punished severely or she would possibly die.

This was the end. The end of her life. Her parents would kill her and that was the end of it. Her parents were going to get away with it, and no one would hear about her again. She would be just as forgotten as the baby crow she killed with the board. She cowered in fear, tears flowing.

The social worker opened the door to the bathroom, seeing an ugly sight. The child's hair was sticky and matted, blood smeared on the side. Her shirt had a large spot of red in the middle, her face still streaked, along with bruises. She also noted she was incredibly skinny for a 7 year old, and she was crouched down, hands above her head. Her Sonic toy was near her, hands and body crimson and sticky.

"This…This is unbelievable…" she gasped, taking it in. She wasn't sure what the hell was going on in this room, but there was no doubt in her mind that her parents were abusive. She dialed a number in her cell phone quickly, getting an answer in seconds.

"Yes Gale?"

"We need the police over here, now. I got a child covered in blood, who's extremely thin, scarred, and bruised. She can't be here any longer and her parents aren't going to go scot-free from this."

She looked at the scene ahead of her. There were many police cars near her house, two of them handcuffing her parents. They were ranting and raving that they never abused their daughter and they would sue them for this mistake. Her mother, especially, saying Schiza was committing a sacrifice to Satan and she was a devil child. There were also many officers photographing the evidence of the locks on her door and the tracks of blood on the staircase and in the bathroom.

She wasn't sure what to think of this. It was a mistake, as the blood came from Sonic when he was alive, not from her parents abusing her. Although she knew this meant she was finally freed from her parents, the feelings wouldn't surface. She felt blank and gripped Sonic tighter as the cop took her parents in the car and drove away with them.

"Schiza."

She looked up, seeing that it was Gale, the worker who reported this. She had a smile on her face as she lifted her head by placing her hand on her chin to look at her.

"This may be very scary to take in, but your parents, who starved and hurt you…they won't be able to do that anymore. You're free. They'll be in jail, where they can't get you."

"Where am I going? Who's going to take care of me now?" she quietly solicited.

"You're going in a foster home. It may seem frightening, but it's a much better place than with your parents. You'll have a hot meat every day, people to care for you, not to mention you'll be able to clean yourself up." She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "This is a start of a new beginning, Schiza. You're in good hands. I promise you that your mom and dad won't hurt you ever again."

She glanced back at Sonic, unmoving and still with stains on his hands and body.

"Can Sonic, Rosy, and Lucky come with me to the foster home?"

"Of course they can. Sonic looks like he needs to be cleaned up though. Can you tell me what happened back there sweetie?"

She said nothing. She wasn't sure what kind of excuse she could offer to her, and if she told her the truth she wasn't sure if she would believe it.

"Is it too hard for you to talk about?"

She could only nod.

"Well, a police officer is going to take you to the foster home. It is a little far from here but the ride won't be too long. And Schiza?"

"Yes ma'am?"

She gave her a tight hug, patting her on the back. "Good luck."

The office led her to the car, Schiza looking back at the lady who hugged her. She was completely confused at what happened, but she kept telling herself that it was over. All over. And she wasn't dead.

She looked at the window as the officer start the car up, preparing to drive away. She took one last glimpse of the house before she was taken, from the House of Sorrow to what she deemed the foster home as the House of Hope.

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	8. Chapter 8

She stared outside the car window, looking at the many houses and cars that passed her by. She was nervous at the prospect of being in a new home, with new parents and a new life. Other than that, she wasn't sure how to feel. She thought she should've been happy, but the initial shock of what happened earlier hasn't worn off. She could only respond by holding Sonic, squeezing him close to her body.

He wasn't sure on what to think either. He didn't even know his body could bleed as much as he did. He couldn't move, but he wanted to reassure Schiza that everything was all right. Things would get better from this point on. A foster home was much better than where she was living at. She continued to look at the new streets and houses she never saw before, feeling very blank about it all, until the officer began to try to make casual conversation.

"So…ever been at this part of town?"

"No," she replied with no emotion.

"Well, it's not the most exciting place, but there are things to do out here." He glanced at her as she gripped Sonic tighter from the mirror. "You like Sonic the hedgehog, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess…" She was just too nervous to talk to him.

"It's okay, Schiza. You can open up to me. It's going to be a while before we get to your new home so you can talk to me to pass the time," he said calmly, trying to assure her.

"I'm a little scared is all."

"Well, things will be all right. It is a little scary to go to a new place but you'll be fine. It's going to be a lot better from here on out. Say, are you hungry? You honestly don't look like you've eaten anything in a while. When's the last time you ate?"

"Before what happened, I did eat a little bit of cake. But I guess I'll try to eat something..."

"Well, I'm going to pull up at this place and get you something. What do you want, chicken nuggets?"

She nodded her head slowly. She wasn't exactly sure on what she wanted to eat, but she figured she didn't have much room in her stomach right now.

When he gave her the nuggets as much as she loved to eat them at school, she could barely eat more than just one. The anxiety still remained inside her body, not giving her much of an appetite and now making her a little sick. She tried to fight her nausea by sipping more of her Sprite, but it didn't seem to help any.

"Mr. Officer, I feel a little sick. I…might throw up."

"Am I going to have to pull over?"

Before he could get the car to the curb, she couldn't handle it anymore. The bile rushed out of her mouth and she accidentally puked inside the car. She felt extremely ashamed, crying and apologizing over and over to the officer. She expected him to get angry at her, yelling at her for ruining the car. However, she found out that he only pulled over.

"Don't worry about it, I got napkins here and I'll clean it up. And trust me, this isn't the first time this actually happened to me. I actually had a drunk driver do the same thing to me before."

As soon as he heard him casually saying this, as if it was nothing, her crying stopped. She was very surprised to see him not get angry with her. She said nothing and wiped away her tears as the mess was wiped away, no longer nervous and scared. She still didn't say much for the rest of the trip, but she was calm and okay with what was happening.

Schiza looked onward at the house they were just now arriving at. It had dark blue paint, looked quite wide for a home, and didn't look like her old home at all, which had paint chipped in some areas and brown stains of a questionable origin at the sides. The paint was even and looked nice. She could see a yard at the back, which had many things she would normally see at a playground: swings, a slide, a merry-go-round, and a small jungle gym. The house didn't look too nice, but it was a big change over where she used to live in.

"We're here, Schiza. This is your new home for a while. Looks a lot better than your old home, huh?"

She said nothing as he opened the door and let her out. She carried all three of her stuffed animals as she walked up to the porch with the officer, her face hidden by Rosy. As the police officer rung the doorbell, she could immediately hear what seemed to be running and yelling, as if children were playing. She could hear footsteps, and a "calm down, you guys! We got a visitor here!" as the door was opened.

From what she could see, this lady looked very young, probably about in her mid-20s, with jet black hair and a streak of blonde on the side. She was wearing a band t-shirt that promoted Mogwai with dark blue jeans, while wearing a necklace that had what seemed to be an amber stone above her chest.

"Oh, you're here with Schiza Mahogany! I was expecting you Schiza! Welcome!"

Schiza honestly believed that she looked too young to spend all her time caring for the kids who were here, but she assumed she really liked taking care of children who came from a rough situation like she did. She saw many other kids, some a little older than her, some about the same age, and one who looked like he was in his teens.

"This is Schiza you guys and she's going to stay here for a while. She looks a little nervous and shy so don't be rough with her, okay?"

"Okay, Ms. Renee…" they said in unison.

"Alright, let's go to the kitchen and talk about your situation and I'll show you around, okay sweetie? If you want, I'll take your toys and I'll let you have them back when we're done, okay?"

She handed over her toys, her face no longer hidden. When she looked at Sonic, noticing the blood stains, she commented, "Wow, this one is going to need a washing. How about I put it in the washing machine for you?"

"I…I don't know if you want to do that, ma'am."

"Why not? I really don't want you to carry around a blood-soaked toy, people are going to think I let you guys get sick from this kind of stuff, and we really don't want that, do we?"

She wasn't sure how she was going to explain why she didn't want Sonic in the washing machine. She knew that Sonic was still a living being and he wouldn't appreciate being in the wash at all, but she was worried if she said anything about it she would be deemed crazy. However, when she began to take Sonic into what looked like the laundry room, she latched onto her leg.

"Please don't put Sonic in the wash, ma'am! He…he wouldn't like that at all! I don't want him to get hurt! Just…put bandages on him!"

"Schiza, it's all right! I assure you he'll be okay, even better once he gets cleaned, okay?"

"I…" She let go of her leg, the lady turning around to listen to her. "I know, but I don't want him in the wash. Can you clean him another way?"

She thought it was a little silly, but she reminded herself that Schiza is a child, and it was important for her to gain her trust.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do for him, honey. Now, let's go to the kitchen and discuss the rules and all that jazz, okay?"

As soon as she put her stuffed toys on her bed, she came back to the kitchen, with Schiza already seating herself near the large rectangular table with the officer near her.

"Okay…now Schiza, we're going to have a little discussion about your situation here. Now, what do you know about a foster home? Did your school talk about them at all?"

Schiza's eyes only met her halfway as she spoke. "I know that you go here when your mom and dad are bad and shouldn't take care of you anymore."

"Well, not always, Schiza. Some kids here are actually here because their mom and dad can't take care of them anymore or they just don't have the funds to do so…or they died, so they get sent here. Although that's mostly the case, it doesn't mean that's always the case. Anyways Schiza, just so you know, this isn't going to be a permanent place for you. Kids actually stay here until someone decides to adopt them, and if they seem to be a suitable parent, they get sent home with them, or sometimes they even get transferred to a different foster home."

"Adopted? So am I like…an orphan?" she asked, reaching her eyes.

"Well, no. An orphan is a kid whose parents are dead. From what I heard, your parents weren't…very good parents, to say the least. Now, adoption isn't something that's going to happen instantly, I can tell you right away. In almost all the cases I've dealt with, they can take a long time, maybe even years, which I hope won't happen to you, but I'm just going to tell you that right away.

"The rules are like the rules you get from your school: you have to respect me no matter how you feel about me, no hitting the other kids, no roughhousing…you know, that kind of jazz. The difference here though is that if I continue to have issues with you, you can actually get transferred to a different foster home, and I'm sure you probably don't want that, right?"

"Yes ma'am," she automatically piped up.

"But don't worry about it too much, honey. I'm not that strict and I don't have that problem very often, and I don't think I'm really going to have it with you. And…I really can't help it, but after I show you around, I'm going to clean you up. You are not going to walk around like that, not in my house, anyways. After that, I'm going to make you something. Does a turkey sandwich sound good? You honestly look like you haven't eaten in a long time."

"She tried to eat some chicken nuggets earlier, but I guess she got so nervous it didn't settle well with her and she threw it up. So give her some time to relax a bit, will ya?" the officer answered, standing up and preparing to leave.

"Alright then. Thanks for dropping her off, Gary. I appreciate it."

"No prob. Good luck Schiza. Renee may seem a little tough, but she's a good parent. I think you'll come to like her quickly." He left the kitchen, giving Schiza a salute and waving goodbye to the other children before leaving, back to his car.

"Well now that's over with, let me show you around, and then I'm fixing you up before I introduce you to everyone. Want to make a good first impression, right?"

This was the first time, in how long she didn't even know, that she took an actual bath. She remembered that most of her baths was spent in lukewarm water, while this one the water was so warm that she nearly fell asleep until Renee dumped a bucket full of water on her head to clean her hair. The water was also sudsy as she put a few squirts of bubble bath liquid when she ran the faucet.

"I'm really surprised that your parents wouldn't even let you take a bath once in a while. Honestly, some people…they should make it so when you want to have kids you have to get a license or something. Some people shouldn't even have kids, you know?"

Schiza was silent as her head was once again dumped full of warm water. She continued to stare at the bubbles that held her reflection.

"You're really a quiet kid. Most of the kids here would usually talk to me but you haven't really said much since you've been here. Is this just too stressful for you right now?"

She somewhat nodded her head, too relaxed by the water.

"Well, this is going to be the start of a new life for you, Schiza. I don't want you to look at yourself and see yourself in this condition. Right now I'll just let you wear one of my shirts but you can come shopping with me and I'm going to try to get you some nice clothes. Won't that be nice?"

She still didn't say anything, as if her mouth was clamped shut by some hidden force.

"You're definitely shy, but I think you're a good kid and it pains me to see you in this kind of situation. I'm going to dry you up with a towel, get you some clean clothes, and I'm going to dress up your hair. When I'm done with you, you'll be a brand new Schiza."

Schiza looked at herself in the long mirror that Renee showed her, seeing her new appearance. Her shirt was a little long, draping over her shorts, but her hair was neat and clean. It was tied up in a ponytail, with a large red ribbon in the back of it. She still had a few marks on her body, but she was no longer dirty and messy-looking.

"Still could use some work, but you look much better. You actually don't look like you just crawled out of a gutter. What do you think?"

She was amazed. She put her hand on the mirror, seeing if this was actually her she was staring at. She was even more incredulous at her hair, which for as long as she knew, it always looked matted and greasy.

"I…I love it, Ms. Renee."

"You do? That's great, Schiza! Now I can't wait until we can find some really nice clothes for you."

She wanted to stare at herself for hours. When she lived with her parents, she actually avoided mirrors as much as she could, because she always knew she looked terrible. But she was actually proud of her appearance, and the very sight of this made her nearly cry.

"I never thought I was pretty, Ms. Renee. I always thought I looked…ugly and scary."

Renee crouched down and put her hand on her shoulder. "Well, you're not, Schiza. You just had to have someone clean you up a bit is all. Now come on, let's meet your roommates and I'll fix you something."

Renee held her hand, slowly walking her from the room. Schiza couldn't help but turn her head around and look at this unfamiliar girl in the mirror, who was also looking at her curiously.


	9. Chapter 9

She glanced at the many children who were all lined up, all in a row, ready to introduce themselves to her. They eyed her sternly, which made Schiza a little uncomfortable and scared. She wasn't sure why they were staring at her as if she was a common criminal, but she tried to calm herself down, telling herself that they probably did this with every new child in the home. Renee was prepared to announce their names one by one as each of them walked slowly towards her.

"This is Maxwell. He's 6 years old and he's been here for a couple months. He's a little rowdy, but he listens to me pretty well. Right, Max?"

"Yes'm," he replied.

Maxwell was much darker-skinned than her, with curly black hair and brown eyes. He was a little smaller than Schiza but not by much. He was carrying onto a fire truck and it seemed like he was playing with this and some other vehicles and small action figures. As soon as he was done being introduced, he went back to his playing, making fake siren noises and driving the truck around.

"And this is Jennifer, she's a little older than you, about 4 years older. Do you know what age she is?"

"11," she answered quickly.

"Yup, that's good, Schiza! She's…"

"Why don't you treat her like a damn animal like you do with everyone else here? Criminy!" she blurted, folding her arms and glaring at Renee disdainfully.

She returned with a sigh. "…a little cranky, and she still has a few issues to work out. Sometimes she'll say something she doesn't completely mean, so don't mind her too much."

"Whatever, Renee!" she spat.

"And this kid's John. He's 4, quite young, but he gets along well with Maxwell. Every time I see you two on the playground you're playing some sort of game. I never had too many problems with him, he's quite well-behaved."

John was smaller than Schiza as well, with a small set of blond hair on his head that curled at the tips with baby blue eyes. He continued to look curiously at her for a while, until he asked, "You want to play cat and mouse sometime? We're going to go out in the playground in a few minutes. It's almost playground time."

"I'm sure Schiza would like to play with you, John. We have one more roommate to introduce her to, but I don't know where he's at. Have any of you…"

She was suddenly interrupted by a tall, teenage boy with brown, spiky hair, wearing a Metallica shirt and ripped blue jeans.

"I'm here, Ms. Renee. You wanted me to see this new girl, right?"

"Yes, Klay. Schiza, this is Klay, he's the oldest and he's been here for a long time, and even if he likes to look tough, that really isn't the case. Klay I had very few problems over the years."

"Unless you count the time I tried to invite a girl over here. Hey Schiza, I'm Klay." He extended a hand towards her. She still felt a little uncomfortable with her new roommates, but after hesitating a little she shook hands firmly with him, meeting eye contact. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Much," he spoke, winking.

"Now that you know everyone, how about we go outside for a bit, get some energy out, huh? I'm sure John would like to play with you."

She opened the sliding glass door at the side of the house, releasing them into the outside world. John and Maxwell dashed to it quickly as if they were dogs being released from their cages, as Jennifer and Schiza slowly walked away from the house. Klay stayed inside, shutting the glass door after they left.

"So, how did Schiza get sent here? She acts shy, but she's probably a good kid," he said as he leaned on the corner of the wall.

"Well, you can't joke around with her, Klay. She really seems fragile and scared. From what I heard, her mom and dad abused her pretty bad. When CPS checked on the house, she was covered in blood, and it was all over her room and the staircase."

"Damn. That's pretty…fucked up. Don't even want to know what they did to her." He shook his head, staring at the floor.

"Yeah, me neither. And I feel bad about the kids who come here who were abused by their parents. They…usually don't do very well in here. You know what's going on with Jennifer. She's only 11, but she's already acting like a snappy rebellious teenager. She doesn't get along with anyone here, not even you. I'm thinking of transferring her as much as I hate to do it."

"I really don't blame you, Renee. She probably doesn't do well here because she's surrounded by rowdy kids and every time I try to talk to her, she snaps at me. You're not giving up on her. If you were, you would let her go out in the streets."

"I guess I can see it that way…" She walked to the laundry room, glancing at the bloody Sonic toy. "I just hope it isn't the same for her. I really feel sorry for Schiza even though I just got her, and I really do want her to get adopted to a good family and help her. I just…hope it isn't like what's going on with you."

He lifted his head, staring at the sunbeams on the ceiling. "Yeah..." He watched it as it faded away, as the sun became obscured by the clouds. "Hopefully not."

She sat on the swing set as the skies and the earth became darker, staring at the ground. She watched at a considerable distance as Jennifer sat on a chair and the other two children ran and played across the playground. She gradually levitated above the ground as she moved her swing, looking at the sky once she was up.

She could hear bells ringing faintly, chiming a familiar church song she recognized. She didn't know the name of the song, but she knew she heard it all before. There was probably a church not too far away from where this foster home was at.

She remembered when she was a little younger, probably a year younger, her parents would get her ready for church. They would get her to wear this blue and white dress that she always felt uncomfortable in, but she did looked very nice when she wore it. She would also wear small black shoes, a hat, and ribbons in her hair. Her parents would also try their best to look nice, wearing a dress and suit. She always felt like it was all a pointless effort to lie about who they really were. Church may have been a place where people would try to look their best and pray for one another, but to her, it was a place where people lied to each other the most.

The only thing she really did liked about church was when she was away from it and she could hear the bells ringing harmoniously. She despised everything else. She didn't like standing up whenever the pastor wanted them to so they could sing, hated listening to the pastor talk about some section in the Bible, trying to tell everyone that God was loving and kind. She especially hated when they would claim they would be forgiven for all their sins if they ate a cracker and sipped some wine. She knew even her parents wouldn't dare to think of showing their true colors in the church, so every time they asked people to line up she continued to sit. She would always get a lecture from her mom about if she didn't do this or that she would burn in Hell, but she would remember that she just went to a church and she shouldn't claim she was good and pure and beat her child, but by the time they came back home she would forget about the whole issue.

Whenever she looked at her parents when they were at church, she was always disgusted with how hypocritical and fictitious they were being to everyone. She always questioned the validity of the commandment, "love thy mother and father". Why should she love them if they didn't love her, or they claim to but only lie to her, which hurt even more? Why love something that was just as evil and vile as a serpent? It didn't make any sense to continue loving someone who will just try to manipulate your love and kindness for their own gain, someone who no longer had a sense of right or wrong and was only fueled by hunger, greed, and delusions.

As she glanced back down on the ground, she saw something black and scaly slither by her slowly, catching a glimpse of its tail.

Her pupils suddenly grew bigger, immediately stopping her swinging as she heard a venomous and screeching voice say, "You're going to burn in Hell you fucking heathen!"

Everyone was standing completely still, stopping what they were doing, when they heard a loud, shrill scream coming from the playground.

"Renee, this really doesn't sound good!" Klay shouted as he quickly opened the slide door, letting her sprint out of the house. She didn't waste any time as she scanned the area, seeing Schiza on the swing set, crying.

"Schiza! Schiza, what's wrong, honey? Are you hurt?"

"There…I…I saw a black snake near me, and it started to talk to me! It said I was going to burn in Hell and it was going to kill me!"

"Schiza…I…" She was in shock over what she said. She carefully got her off the swings and held her close to her body, Schiza weeping loudly into her jeans. "We…need to go back inside. You need to stay with me for a while until I feel you're safe, okay?"

"O…okay, Ms. Renee…" she stuttered, sniffling.

She held Schiza's hand, walking carefully back inside the home. Her crying began to cease a little, comforted by Renee's presence. When they were back inside, she crouched down, pulling the hair out of her eyes. "So you saw a scary black snake, huh? And it talked to you?"

She nodded her head, trying to wipe away her tears.

"And it said…you were going to burn in Hell? And it was going to kill you?"

"Yes…its mouth moved and everything and it was going to jump at me!"

"That's…very scary, Schiza. I can understand why you're so scared. Definitely not something many people would see."

"I…think I should lay down, Ms. Renee…" she muttered. "Is…Sonic all cleaned up?"

She extended her arms, hugging Schiza tightly. "Of course he is, sweetie. I managed to get the stains out without putting him in the washer, like you said. I'll let you lay down, but I'm going to need to keep a close eye on you for the rest of the day, okay?"

"Okay…" she whispered, her face muffled by Renee's body as she held her a little tighter.

She inched her way into her bed, which the top was covered in pillows and her other two stuffed animals. She wrapped herself in a blanket firmly, hiding her face and body in the covers as Renee put Sonic right beside her. "I'll check back on you in a few minutes. Don't hesitate to yell for me, okay?"

She was quiet as Renee walked out of the room, turning the lights off and leaving her in relative darkness.

She looked back at Sonic, who was now clean and barely had a stain on him. He was still immobilized, staring blankly right at her.

She held him, taking him under the covers and clutching him close to her body, the warmth of the blankets eventually lulling her to sleep.

"Schiza. Schiza, wake up!"

She awoke to something pushing her gently, seeing it was now night and the other children were fast asleep. She steadily turned to the side, seeing Sonic standing over her bed.

"Hey, everyone's asleep. Since you got some extra rest, do you want to go outside and, you know, hang out or somethin'?"

"Sonic…" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "It's late. What if Ms. Renee catches us?"

"Nah, she won't notice anything. I saw her doing paperwork and she passed out on the desk! She won't notice us gone, I swear."

"Well…alright. Just as long as we're just going out on the playground…" she said as she stumbled out of the bed, still rubbing her eyes as she walked out of the room. Sonic escorted her into the main room, sliding the door open and walking into the playground.

They both went into the grassy knoll of the play area, leisurely sitting, then lying on the ground, gazing up at the sky, which was a rich dark blue as the moon's incandescent glow lit up the clouds around it, surrounded by many sparkling stars.

"So, a new place, eh? Do you feel better now that you're away from your mom and dad?"

"Yeah, but I'm still a little scared. I mean…what if Ms. Renee and everyone else find out I'm a bad person and not like me anymore?"

"You're not a bad person, Schiza. Far from it. I'd feel a little scared too with what happened but I think you're going to be okay," Sonic calmly assured her, still staring at the sky. "I also like what Renee did to you. You look pretty."

She didn't respond and continued to look at the many stars, intrigued by the beauty of the night and still thinking she didn't look pretty at all. "It's a gorgeous night, huh? I especially like it when you can still see the clouds up in the sky. Have you ever just sat back and looked at the stars?" Sonic asked, facing her.

"No, not really. I was never allowed to go outside at night and I never looked at them much from my window."

"Well, it's nice, isn't it? For some reason, looking up here is reminding me of something, but I'm not sure what it is. It's like…something in the back of your mind, but you can't exactly recall it, you know?"

"I'm going through the same thing, Sonic. Because something happened to me today that gave me that feeling."

"What happened? When you held me when I was a toy you did seem upset…"

"I was at the swings when suddenly I see this black snake with big teeth, telling me I was going to burn in Hell and he was going to kill me. I got really scared and screamed. When Ms. Renee came, it was gone, but I can't help but think there was something behind it. I'm not sure what it was…"

"That's terrible, Schiza! I…I really don't want you to get hurt, definitely not killed! It was good that she got there in time, or else…I wouldn't know what to do…"

"I'm okay now though, Sonic. I haven't seen the snake anymore and I didn't get hurt. But I was so scared…what if the snake tries to hurt me again?"

"I'll snap its spine if it ever says anything like that or tries to hurt you ever again," he harshly replied, angry that such a thing thought of harming her.

She thought about the event again. The snake seemed to be so realistic, but yet very surreal. She knew that snakes couldn't actually talk, but stuffed toys couldn't either. "I'm beginning to think I'm going crazy, Sonic. I know snakes can't talk…"

"Well, no, but then again, how am I able to talk? But…I want you to think about this later. We got the entire playground to ourselves. Do you want me to push you on the merry-go-round?"

She did indeed want to forget the whole issue. She thought playing with Sonic would make her feel better. "Yeah. Hopefully Ms. Renee won't wake up."

"She seems to be knocked out cold, don't worry. Just get in the middle of the merry-go-round and I'll push it, okay?"

She complied, stepping on it and sitting in the middle, holding onto the metal bars. "Hold on tight, I'm going to make it go pretty fast."

He gripped on one of the bars and began to run, steady at first, then picking up speed every second (He prevented himself from going too fast, however, as he didn't want to make her sick or harm her). As he got the merry-go-round at a good pace, he stopped, letting it turn quickly.

She woke up abruptly to the sound of laughter. She noticed right away that she once again slept while she was working on her paperwork, but it was usual for her to pass out while signing something. What was unusual, however, was this laughter that seemed to come from outside her window.

She veered through the blinds of her window, seeing the merry-go-round turning and something blue running near it.

"What the…hell? Is it just the wind…or is someone outside?" She hurried to the main room and looked out the screen door, seeing Schiza laughing joyfully as the merry-go-round spun. She no longer saw a blue blur around it, but she paid it no mind, thinking her tired mind was playing tricks on her.

"Schiza! What on earth are you doing out here child? It's 11 'o clock at night!"

Schiza immediately ended her laughter, realizing she was now in trouble. She looked frightened as Renee discontinued the spinning by firmly putting her hand on one of the bars, looking annoyed.

"I know you slept earlier than everyone else here, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want out here, Schiza! It's only play time out here when I say it is!"

"I…I know…" Her heart began to race. She was going to hit her for coming out here this late, she knew it. She would be whipped with a belt, punched, screamed at. She couldn't let herself cry. She would only become even more enraged.

"Schiza, why do you look so stressed out all of a sudden? I don't want you to come out here whenever you want to, but good lord kid, you're acting like I'm going to…hit you or something."

"You're…not going to…hit me?" she peeked at her head, surprised.

"Oh no no no no. That's not how I do things around here. That may have been something your parents did, but not me. I'm better than that. I just want you to go back to the bed room and sleep, okay honey?"

She was immediately relieved, her anxiety levels plummeting. "Okay…"

As she picked her up from the merry-go-round, she saw Sonic, sitting on the ground lopsidedly.

"Can't forget Sonic either, can't we?" She held Schiza's body with one arm, while picking up Sonic with the other.

As she carried her back inside, she wondered about him. He was nice to her and she felt his hugs and did seem to be able to move things, but she wondered about her mind as well. She heard of people seeing things that aren't really there and hearing things too, but she couldn't possibly be like them. Wasn't she?

Renee tucked her in, while she clasped Sonic close to her body. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. She thought on how she hoped it wasn't true as she fell asleep, the moon shining through the windows and on her.


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you swear to tell the truth, nothing but the truth, so help you God?" Her right hand was firmly implanted on a Bible as she raised the palm of her other hand as a man sternly inspected her, breaking down her sense of calmness. "I do."

"You may now be seated as you present your case."

She slowly sat down, analyzing the whole scene. She saw her husband across from her, his head lowered, as if he was praying or in deep contemplation. Everyone was tense, waiting for the man to speak up.

"Roseanna Mahogany…you gave birth to Schiza Mahogany 7 years ago, on September 12th, is that correct?"

"Yes," she stated coldly.

"So you're Schiza's birth mother…is Jack Mahogany her real father?"

"Yes."

"Schiza Mahogany, your very own child, was born on September 12th, 7 years ago on that very day. Is it true that it is a mother's duty, their very own God-given responsibility, to raise their child?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Roseanna Mahogany, let me repeat what was written on this report, made by Child Protective Services, on May 5th…" He was handed the report, as he cleared his throat and began.

"The house that I arrived in was in poor condition, the sides of the home stained, a window cracked, and as I walked inside, the floor looked dirty, as if it wasn't swept in a while, and several holes in the home's walls, including numerous dents scattered across them. When I came to question Schiza's parents, Roseanna and Jack Mahogany, they seemed annoyed with my presence and when they answered a few of my questions, there was hostility in their voice, Roseanna especially in hysterics, claiming that Schiza, who school records dictate as a withdrawn little girl, but never acted out in violence or has had any thoughts about harming another student or animal, was sacrificing an animal from the woods to Satan. I saw that the staircase was completely covered in blood, the steps stained with it as well. As I went up to her room, I saw a small table with food and a tea set arranged on it, and also a giant puddle of blood. As I quickly came downstairs to the bathroom, I saw that their own child was covered in blood, her shirt stained, her hair matted, messy, and coarse, and her body bone-thin and covered in scratches and bruises. Schiza cannot live in these conditions and shall be transferred to Winona County Foster Home immediately…" He paused, turning for her to meet his gaze. "How do you plead, Roseanna?"

She looked around nervously in the room, a few small tears escaping from her eyes. "Guilty."

The man continued to gaze at her with his intense, unbroken stare, then began to speak again. "So you are admitting that your daughter, Schiza Mahogany, was beaten, tortured, and starved by you and Jack Mahogany? Is there any reason, any reason at all, in your defense, why you did this?"

She paused. "I have a few reasons, and a plea. My husband, who I've been married to for two years, not only has been abusing my daughter, but he is also abusing me. A few months after I married him, he would hit me, choke me, and abuse me in whatever way he can to manipulate me into…"

"That's a lie, Roseanna! I never…"

He heard the gavel, interrupting his claim. "Jack, let Roseanna continue without any interruptions or we will hold you in contempt! Is that understood?"

He sat down, grunting slightly, but letting her resume.

"…He would abuse me in any way he could to manipulate me into abusing Schiza. This…as a result affected my mind, causing me to eventually believe that my own daughter should be abused this way. I…I also saw him molest Schiza, when she was two, but I was afraid of calling the police, in fear of him abusing or killing me. I admit everything I've said and done to Schiza was completely true, but I regret it deeply now, as her own mother shouldn't treat her child this way. The abuse took a toll on my mind, causing me to be hysterical and believe all those things I once said. If…" A tear rolled down her face as she no longer looked at the man. "If the psychological testing proves it, I want to be sent to a psychiatric hospital, staying maybe as long as several years to deal with the damage that my husband and I caused. This is all I plea, so my mind isn't given a much greater toll when I have to go to jail, dealing with nothing but the extreme guilt that came with abusing and torturing my daughter."

The man was completely silent for a few moments, absorbing everything she said to him. "Roseanna, you may now rest from the stand. The jury must now make their verdict."

Everything was still as she waited. Her husband sat right next to her, his head still lowered, gazing at particularly nothing. Now that she learned the truth, the disgusting, hideous truth that took years for her to sink into her mind, he was a vile human being who deserved to be wiped out from the Earth. He lied to her about everything, controlled her mind into believing that Schiza was this human being who deserved to be punished, not him. She wondered why she married this sack of shit, this pig who wore the skin of a human. Was she really that desperate for love that she would marry this beast?

Several hours passed as they returned to the court, Roseanna prepared to listen to her fate.

"We as the jury…have come to the verdict, that Jack Mahogany is guilty, for 20 years in jail for severe child and spousal abuse. After observing evidence and her psychological evaluation, that Roseanna Mahogany is not guilty, and should be sent to a psychiatric hospital, for the great anguish and trauma she suffered through Jack's abuse, for as long as it takes for her to fully recover."

The judge looked back at Jack, who was now lifting his head to see what he had to say.

"Jack…the jury has sentenced you the maximum sentence for abuse in this state, which is 20 years. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, Your Honor," he said precisely.

"You have caused great suffering to your wife, manipulating her to harm her own child while you abused her yourself, even molesting and raping her. Do you even have guilt, even a smidge of regret, for what you've done to your family?"

"I do, Your Honor. I do regret for what I did-…"

"You don't even sound like it. You don't even look like you're sorry," the judge snapped. "This girl is now in the foster care system, most likely suffering from the memories of what you inflicted upon her, and your wife is most likely going to be in a psychiatric hospital for years on what you did to her. I'm glad you're going to be in jail for 20 years. 20 years is a long time to truly think about the pain and anguish you caused, and there's no going back on it. May God have mercy on your soul, and I hope you one day realize and deeply regret what you've done. I sentence Jack Mahogany to 20 years in jail and Roseanna shall be admitted to Community Memorial Hospital for as long as it takes for her to recover. The Court now rests."

She knew that once he smacked the gavel, things were now completely different. Things were going to change. She would no longer be crazy, be abused by that pig, and one day, she would live a normal life…she knew, however, she would never see her daughter again, and when she grew up, which was something she would also never see, she would never forgive her for everything she's done to her. The realization that her own daughter was gone and hated her caused her to break down, her hands hiding her face as she wept when they took her so-called husband and her away from the court room.

"We're going to take you back to your home and you're going to take everything you need with you to the hospital. The ride's going to be long, but I think you're making a good decision, Roseanna."

"I…just deeply regret all the things I've done to my daughter. I know even when I get out of the hospital I will never see her again, and all she's going to remember me by are the things I called her and the things I've done to her. When he was abusing me why didn't I just call the police? Maybe then he wouldn't have…" She couldn't speak anymore as all the emotion was too much. She continued to sob loudly.

"Roseanna, that was all in the past. Right now we want you to focus on the future and make it better. We can't promise you that you'll see Schiza again, or that she will forgive you, but the important thing is making your life better and moving through what your husband did to you. Now, let's take you back to your home and pack up. Just to remind you, we'll be watching you, so don't try to pull anything or you'll be sent to jail with almost the same sentence as your husband, is that understood?"

She nodded. "I swear I won't do any of that. Jail is the last place I want to go to to get over all of this, officers."

They took her outside of the court room, the sun's light blinding her. She thought of her daughter, going through so much when she was only 7 years old. She should be playing, laughing happily through her childhood. But she was miserable now, only experiencing brief happiness as her parents once loved her, then tortured her. She now had to go through the trials of the foster care system, which she knew that although it was better than being with them, it was still difficult and many children don't go out of it completely right. She barely had the chance to be a child.

"I'm sorry, Schiza. I'm sorry," she whispered as she was taken inside the police car.

"The best thing you can do for her right now is to get better, Roseanna. Again, we can't guarantee it, but if you do see her again one day, maybe…maybe she'll learn that in the end, you didn't mean all those things you did to her."

The word maybe echoed inside her mind, repeating endlessly as they drove away.


	11. Chapter 11

Another day has passed for Schiza in the home, the moon and stars spread across the sky like an evening gown. The other children were beginning to yawn and move languidly, a sign that they were tired and it was about time for bed.

Schiza still did not reveal much of herself to the others. She was still frightened of them criticizing her once they saw who she really was, so she continued to play by herself. When questioned if she wanted to play with the others, she could only be quiet and resume what she was doing.

She longed for friendship, someone other than her stuffed animals she could talk to. She wanted so much to play with them out in the sun's warm light and run with them until her legs were sore, but every time they said anything to her, even a simple "hi", she wanted to run away. She couldn't help but be afraid of their eyes, their eyes that studied her and scraped through her soul, searching for anything that they could ridicule her for. Their words, their voice…even if she could sense a hint of abhorrence she would avoid them, run as far as she could. They didn't even try to chase her, but she knew they thought she was strange, which hurt her as well, but she knew they would condemn her for something else if she stayed any longer.

She had a dream that always scared her, where a million eyes inspected her, piercing her like long, thin nails. Something she did that they thought wasn't right, they would immediately start laughing uproariously at her, the only thing she could do is try to shield herself and cry. She was especially afraid of children the most, thinking anything she did that was "weird" to them; they would automatically hate her for it.

Renee found her, lying on the floor flat on her stomach, her feet swinging back and forth as if she was enjoying herself, playing what seemed to be Monopoly with her toys, her moving the pieces for them. She said, "Your turn, Sonic", about to move his piece until she gazed up at her.

"Oh, hi there Schiza. I didn't notice you playing by yourself. Are you sure you're having fun, just playing a board game with your toys?"

"I'm okay, Ms. Renee. Sonic's winning at this game though; he has a lot of red and green pieces. I don't really know how to play this game, but Sonic taught me."

"I…see. Say Schiza, why don't you play with the other children? John and Maxwell could use another kid to play with, because I know Jessica won't, and Klay's too old…"

She looked down, staring at the floor. "I don't want to play with them, Ms. Renee. They scare me."

"Why do they scare you?" She crouched down to her level. "You should be playing with kids your age, Schiza. You shouldn't be just playing a board game by yourself, pretending that your stuffed animals are playing too."

She wasn't sure why she told Renee her little secret. She was beginning to trust her, and she always got annoyed when she thought of them as just "toys".

"I don't know about Rosy and Lucky, but Sonic…I'm not pretending to play with him, Ms. Renee."

"Schiza, that's…silly to say, you know that. You see Sonic not being able to move and you moving his piece and all, you know that he's just a stuffed animal."

She was a little offended when she said that, but kept the irritation inside of her. "He's a toy now Ms. Renee, but when I'm alone with him, he's…real."

"Schiza, you have a really big imagination! He can't be real; he's only real to you because you imagine him to be real! I know you're a kid, but…"

"I'm not lying!" she shouted as she began to stand up. "He wants to be real like you and me, but something is making him into a toy! I…I know this! He wrote me a letter!"

She was still skeptical of her claims and found all of this to be silly. "Are you sure you didn't write it, sweetie?"

"No!" She stamped the ground with her foot. "He did write me a letter! He is real, just not to you! You don't know anything!"

She was surprised to see Schiza acting this way. She barely heard a word come out of her mouth and she definitely seemed timid, but now she was acting out, stomping her feet and claiming she "didn't know anything".

"Schiza, calm down, honey. It's okay, you don't need to get angry at me. I'm just telling you the truth…"

"It's not the truth, Ms. Renee! Sonic is real and…"

Jessica was channel surfing with the TV in the corner of the main room, Schiza ending her tirade as a news reporter began to talk loudly.

"A couple, who were recently charged with severe child abuse, just today received a jail sentence and a trip to a psychiatric ward. Jack Mahogany, 37, not only was charged with physical and sexual abuse of his daughter, but he also abused his wife, controlling her to abuse their child as well…"

"Jessica!" Renee exclaimed through the house. "Change the channel or turn that off! I don't want Schiza to be reminded of her past so often…"

Jessica quickly rose, turning around. "She's in a damn foster home, Renee! She's going to be reminded of it every fucking day!"

"Jessica, don't use that language around here! I don't care if you use it to yourself or outside, but there are kids here…"

"I'm trying to prove a point to you! Besides, I'm sure they're going to hear that shit a lot!"

Schiza began to cover her ears, scared.

"Jessica, I had it! I don't want to do it, but I have no choice but to put you in a different foster home! I…I obviously can't reach you and I don't want you to be like this! You're a bad influence to the kids, you don't comply with the rules…"

"You want me to pack my bags just because I wanted to watch a news report! Damn, sorry that I want to be informed of what's going on…"

"Jessica, just get ready to leave. I don't want to argue with you, especially with the children here. Just go to your room and pack up everything. I can't deal with you anymore."

She glared at her, her eyes looking watery. She plodded to her room in a flash after staring her down, slamming her door so loud and harshly that it looked like it was going to break.

She could faintly hear the news reporter say, "Jack has been sentenced to 20 years in jail, the maximum sentence for child abuse in this state."

Her eyes began to well up. Her heart raced every time she would hear someone yell and scream, even if it wasn't at her. She wasn't sure why she was so afraid of loud noises, but it was all too familiar to her old home.

"Schiza, are you alright, sweetie? I'm sorry that you had to go through with that…Jessica definitely likes to yell and stir things up."

She let go of her ears, the whole room not sounding much different than when she clasped them. No one moved, except for Renee, who went to the remote to shut the TV off.

"That's enough drama for one day. John, Maxwell, and Schiza, off to bed. It's past your bedtime."

John peeked up at Renee, holding his ball a little tighter. "Ms. Renee, what's going to happen to Jessica?" he faintly asked.

She was quiet for a while, grasping John's hand tightly. "She's going to a different foster home, John. Don't worry about you guys being transferred, alright? I only do that to kids who don't follow the rules and it just seems like I'm not getting anywhere with them. You're fine, you guys."

"Oh," John mumbled. He glanced at the floor as Renee took him to the bedroom, until he asked another question a minute later. "Is she coming back?"

She looked stern as she took him to his bed. "She probably won't come back, John. Many kids who get transferred don't come back, and most of the time I don't really see them again."

"Will you see me again when I'm twansfurred, Ms. Renee?"

"Don't worry about it you guys. As far as I'm concerned, none of you really act like Jessica for me to warrant that. Lights out."

The room was now completely dark, the only light escaping into it were from the windows above them, Schiza only seeing some faint moonlight and blue from the night sky. She once again smothered herself with blankets, taking Sonic under them. She knew that a few minutes ago, she was acting exactly how Jessica was acting, by stomping her feet and yelling. She immediately thought of herself as a bad child, someone who was going to one day be sent to a foster home that would punish her everyday for all her wrongdoings, a different version of Hell. She didn't want to leave here, although she didn't play with the other children. She felt hope for this home, something that she thought never existed when she was living with her parents. She wanted to keep holding onto that hope, gripping onto it as tightly as she could, and survive this whole ordeal. Hope was the only thing that kept her going.

She wasn't sure how to feel about her father being in jail. He definitely deserved it; he needed to go to a concrete Hell for what he did. A few memories of her father flashed before her, mostly him screeching bloody murder for something she did, resulting in her getting punched. She dreaded getting hit by him, as he was strong and it was certainly nothing that the belt could possibly make her feel. Many bruises would be on her body, a fleeting reminder of the pain she felt whenever her father ever approached her.

She hated him. She hated everything about him. She wanted to see him ridiculed, alienated, and suffering for everything he did. She wished he was in jail for longer than 20 years, it seemed too lenient. He could be there for an eternity or until he was an old, frail man, regretting that the rest of his life was spent in a jail cell and he never spent it with his child or his wife he claimed to love so much. That punishment wasn't good enough for her.

What seemed to be hours passed, her tossing and turning as she thought about her guilt and her anger. She couldn't sleep even a wink, her mind in turmoil over her worries.

"Hey Schiza, having trouble sleeping?"

She recognized that voice from anywhere. She felt Sonic's head on her body, him looking at her, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah…I guess I'm worried…"

Sonic wriggled his way out of the blankets and covers, carefully getting out of the bed without disrupting her. "Why are you worried? What's wrong?"

"I'm kind of scared, Sonic. I…kind of was mean to Ms. Renee today. I was trying to make her believe that you were real, but she wouldn't listen…"

"Oh no, did you tell her that I was real to you, Schiza?"

"Yeah. And she said I was just imagining you! I can't be imagining you Sonic, I feel you and you talk to me…" she said as she began to pet him slowly, feeling his soft fur and his smooth quills.

"Well…don't tell her about me, okay Schiza? I want you to keep it a little secret."

"Why? I get mad when she says I can't play with you because you're a toy! I was having fun playing with you on that game, and she said I needed to play with the other kids! But I'm scared of them, Sonic…"

"Don't be scared of them. They're just kids, what is the worst they could do to you?"

"Hate me," she sorrowfully replied.

"Don't be afraid of them hating you, Schiza, or else you won't be able to play or talk to them very well. If you forget about it, you can see that you can do much better." She soon couldn't feel Sonic anymore, wondering where he went, until she saw a little of him being shown by the moonlight, him grabbing a chair. "It's getting pretty late and I want you to go to sleep. Do you want to hear a story?"

"A story sounds good, Sonic. What's this one called?"

"Well…I came up with it a while ago, but I haven't really given it much of a name. Just listen to it and maybe at the end we can come up with a name, how does that sound?"

"Okay Sonic." She snuggled up to her pillow, facing him with curious eyes.

"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom, in a land far away from here. It was settled in a large castle, its walls completely black and shiny, anyone who looked at it a little afraid of their king and queen.

"The king was a greedy man, only caring about himself, not even tending to his queen. The only thing that he was worried about was how much power he ruled over everyone, and how much people feared him. He would pass laws that were so strict, that if they were broken, he commanded his soldiers to chop off the lawbreaker's heads. He went to bed every night, smiling over how many people were afraid of him.

"The queen was lonely, saddened by the king not paying attention to her. She was so distressed over how power-hungry her king was, that she completely forgot about their daughter, who was a princess. Sometimes she got so frustrated from the king that she would yell and order the poor princess around, making her life miserable."

Schiza was imagining his story in her head. For some reason, she imagined that the king was her father, dressed in black, royal clothes, wearing jewelry all over his body and commanding all his subjects to do whatever he pleased, trying to make everyone he ruled over fear him so much, that they didn't want to come out of their homes and dreaded going inside the castle.

She imagined her mom, also dressed in royal, very wealthy clothing, depressed and weeping loudly every night that they went to sleep, obsessing over why no one paid attention to her good looks. She also imagined her screaming at this princess for every little thing, fueled by this frustration and sorrow. She also imagined herself as this princess, suffering from her family's greed and rage.

"One day, the king became alarmed as a soldier told him that a great, big dragon was coming to their kingdom, warning him that if he didn't take any action, everything he built would be destroyed. He was outraged that this soldier was lying to him, saying that a dragon was coming. 'No dragon will ever come here! Even if he does, he's no match for my armies! Don't waste my time with such tomfoolery!' The soldier was later beheaded, just for warning him.

"A few hours later, the king still skeptical of everyone's warnings, looks out of the window, seeing something flying towards him. All he could tell was that it was big and black, with glowing red eyes that haunted him constantly. He still told himself that this was nothing but a bird, or some sort of trick that the villagers were trying to pull on him. He was so delusional that he began to behead who he thought was trying to pull this trick on him.

"The queen wanted him to stop, but she felt powerless. She continued to yell at the princess, saying that she was only making her angrier and her father more mad. The princess cried, knowing that all this wasn't true. If her family was actually kind to her, she would love them, but she knew the king and queen didn't love her back. She would crawl into bed, weeping loudly as the moon rose.

"Then one day, it happened. This dragon, which was as black as the castle, with many horns that curled and transparent, green wings that shone like the moon, attacked the castle. The king ordered many of his soldiers to attack him, but they were all quickly killed. The dragon was hungry, and saw the king and queen as a meal that was enough to satisfy him. He grabbed the king and queen from the castle, and ate them greedily."

She imagined this dragon eating her mom and dad, crunching through their bones and blood dribbling from his mouth, them screaming for mercy from God, but their lord forsaken them from their past sins. She also imagined this castle slowly crumbling down as the dragon attacked, the king losing everything.

"Although the dragon thought they were delicious, he was still hungry. As he saw through the castle, he saw the princess. 'Maybe I'll eat the princess too, and I'll be satisfied…'"

"Does…does she get eaten, Sonic?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.

"Just listen to the rest of the story and you'll find out."

"The princess knew that she had to do something, or else she'll be just another meal to this dragon. She asked one of the soldiers if she could borrow his armor and his sword, as she was determined to fight this dragon by herself. Courage surged through her as she wore that armor and held that sword, as she went out of the castle to face him.

"The dragon took one look at her, laughing at how weak this princess seems to be. 'You're going to fight me, even though I've just taken down many soldiers without breaking a sweat? I do like to hunt for my meals though, so this will be all the more satisfying to me.'

"The dragon breathed forth many flames from his mouth, her able to quickly dodge his attack. He tried to smash her with his tail, slashing her with his claws, blowing her away with his wings, but nothing was helping him out in the fight. As he tried to cook her with another set of flames she quickly lunged towards his stomach, her sword quickly cutting through his body, him screaming for her to stop, but as she pushed the sword deeper into his chest, he keeled over, his body no longer breathing and his slit eyes no longer staring at her. The dragon was defeated, and the dragon was dead."

She thought of herself with the sword and armor, fighting with this evil dragon, and her plunging it deep into his chest, blood spraying all over her, the dragon screeching from the pain. She saw blood all over the ground and some on the castle as it fell, it no longer begging for mercy and its eyes closing.

"The princess was instantly a hero, as she saved the entire village from the dragon. Although her parents were dead, many of the villagers thought of her as a brave, kind girl who would be a wonderful ruler over their land. She quickly became a queen, being praised the world over for being a fair and strong ruler, and for being brave enough to defeat a large dragon.

"The kingdom was in peace for all of those years, the queen not guided by greed or jealousy. She cared about her subjects, making her village prosper, the people no longer afraid of their ruler. They were happy, proud that their ruler was as strong as their bond, and their kingdom. The end."

As he finished his story, he saw Schiza being completely quiet, no longer moving or rustling in her covers. She saw her fast asleep, looking as if she was in a deep slumber.

Sonic pulled the covers up and patted her head as she snored a little. "Goodnight, my little princess," he said softly, slowly disappearing into the darkness as she slept soundly.


	12. Chapter 12

Renee was yet again signing papers and writing about Jessica's recent meltdown as she was on the phone with another foster parent.

"Shanna, I would like to keep Jessica here. I really would. But I can't get through her and she's not going to be good in a house full of young kids and a teenager. That's why I'm sending her over to you."

"I understand, Renee. Right now I have older kids and some teens so maybe she'll do better here, at least someone she could possibly relate to."

"Well, I told her to pack up her stuff. I guess she'll be ready to go to your home in the morning. By the way, there's another thing I wanted to ask you about, if you don't mind…"

"What would that be?"

"I have another kid here that I'm a little concerned about. She's 7 years old and her name is Schiza. Nice kid and all, but I never see her play with the other children or talk to anyone else but me. And…she seems really attached to her stuffed animals, and she told me something very strange. She thinks one of her stuffed animals is real, as in he can talk to her and play board games with her. And the other day she claimed to saw a black snake who told her she was going to burn in Hell and it was going to kill her…I wonder if she has some kind of deep, psychological problem…"

"That's…definitely strange," she noted. "I wonder if Schiza is…" She paused.

"Is what?"

"…A schizophrenic. A child one. They're extremely rare, but childhood schizophrenia is definitely possible."

"I really don't want to think she's…that. If that is true, I'd have to send her to a hospital, and that's the last thing that poor kid needs."

"I actually heard about her parents on the news earlier. Turns out her mother was sent to a high-security hospital for what her father did. And her father's going to be in jail for 20 years. Definitely don't want her to end up like her mom."

"Yeah…Well, I'll keep an eye on her then. I…really don't want her to end up like Jessica, being sent away, except to a mental hospital. Anyways, nice talking to you, Shanna. Expect Jessica tomorrow. She's a handful, so you need to watch out."

"Don't worry. I used to have some really aggressive teens here. No one managed to get hurt, and I'm sure Jessica won't act out like them. Right?"

"Hopefully not. Talk to you later."

She hung up, her sighing dejectedly over her latest failure. She knew that not every child was going to leave her home getting adopted, but even if Jessica only criticized and yelled at everything, she always felt defeated when there was yet another child she couldn't reach. Jessica to her seemed to be very bright for an 11 year old, but she came from a situation similar to Schiza's.

Her father sexually abused her since she was 6 years old. She never told her mother, who was a drug addict and who later died from a heroin overdose when she was only 8. The abuse continued for a few more years, until she finally got the courage to tell her school counselor, her father arrested and she was later referred here. She could tell that the abuse took its toll on her, as she seemed to lost hope in most of humanity. She seemed to only see them as annoying, stupid creatures who blabbered only shit, or as one of her journal entries she found one day said. She even once said she wouldn't care if the entire world spontaneously exploded. "The world just seems to be nothing but just a giant shit hole and people only give excuses to why they can't change anything. Let's solve everything by just making it explode," the journal also dictated.

She definitely couldn't have her here any longer. She certainly couldn't handle children with deep psychological issues that she seemed to have, she was afraid to admit. However, she knew that many children in the foster care system are never the same once they're in, even when they're out. It was still a system that needed vast improvements.

She was especially worried about Schiza. She felt even sorrier for the children who were so scarred by abuse or neglect, and the ones that their parents couldn't handle them anymore because of their problems.

She remembered she used to have a 5 year old years ago who didn't interact with anyone at all. He refused to eat most of the time and come outside of his room. When she found his arms all cut up, one of the windows broken and him holding onto a shard of glass, she had no choice but to send him to a psychiatric hospital. When she checked on him years later, he was still in the hospital, still shaken and still attempting to hurt himself.

She hoped this wouldn't be the same. She couldn't stand to see another child go through the same path as him. She wanted to see Schiza smile, at least once. She thought that she was such a pretty girl and she didn't deserve what happened to her at all. She just wanted her to be happy, playing with the other children and making up for lost time in her childhood.

Her eyes were starting to become dull, her pen shaking as she tried to write yet another sentence. It wasn't long until her head fell face first into the desk, her dropping the pen and snoring loudly. She once again crashed while doing her paperwork.

The room's window burst forth the morning light, Schiza stretching her arms and yawning as she proceeded to crawl out of bed. The other children were still asleep, as she heard someone shuffling and mumbling under their breath. She opened the door a crack, seeing that Jessica was carrying a suitcase on wheels, walking with Renee to the main room. She also saw Sonic, back into a toy, on the edge of the bed, she swiftly picking him up and carefully getting out of the door, seeing the whole situation unfolding before her.

"Where the hell am I going anyways, Renee? Is it a foster home that's probably worse than this shithole?"

She ignored her insult. "You're going to Minnesota City's Foster Home. The foster parent there is Shanna. I chose her to take you because it's mostly a home for older kids such as yourself, and maybe you'll be able to relate to them better."

"Is it worse than here, Renee? Worse than this dung heap?"

"I really wouldn't say so, Jessica. It's much bigger and…I'll admit, more professional. Is that fine with you?"

"So it's better than…"

"Look," she interrupted yet another slur about her home. "The man who's going to take you there is here. And, before you go, I want to say something to you."

"What?" she snidely asked.

She held both of her hands. "I'm…sorry that I couldn't help you. I feel bad for you Jessica, I really do. I hope Shanna can help you, and I hope things turn up right for you in the end. What your father did to you was horrible, and simply inexcusable, and I'm very sorry that happened to you."

"Whatever, Renee! There's nothing you can do about it! Just let the guy take me there and just not say another word!"

She expected her to completely reject her sympathies, but she wanted to tell her them anyways, to show that she cared. She obeyed her request, saying nothing as the officer prompted her to go to the police car.

This was the last she ever saw of Jessica, as she got in the car and slammed the door. They backed out of the driveway, seeing them becoming smaller as they drove away, Jessica now only a memory.

She saw Renee standing there, completely silent, her looking as if she was about to sob. She wiped away one of her tears as she finally noticed Schiza standing in the hallway, looking innocent with her holding onto her Sonic toy.

"Schiza…what are you doing out here this early? It's not time for you to get up yet."

"I know, Ms. Renee," she shyly replied.

"You…wanted to see Jessica before she left, didn't you?"

She nodded her head.

"I see." She walked up to Schiza, gripping her hand tightly. "Well, if you can't sleep, I guess you can't sleep. Want some breakfast? Sunny side up eggs with toast, the way you like them?"

This made her feel a little better. She nodded once again.

"Alright. Go to the kitchen and I'll cook you up some eggs and toast. I'm going to wake the other kids up."

She let go of her hand, Schiza following her request and taking a seat on the table's chairs as she awakened the other children.

She barely knew Jessica, but yet it was a frightening experience to see one of the children leave, most likely never coming back. She couldn't help but think how fleeting people in her life were as Jessica was taken away. Whenever she graduated a grade, she usually never saw her friends in the past grade again. She was never going to see her current friends in her school. She knew she was never going to see her parents again, whether they were locked up or not. And once she was out of here, she would never see Renee, or John or Maxwell or Klay, ever again. People seemed to go out of her life so quickly, and she knew they would never be heard from again.

Her worry couldn't help but exemplify as she thought about how one day, she was going to disappear out of everyone's lives, her name no longer spoken in her town. As she thought more and more, she couldn't help but feel that although she deeply desired friendship, it was pointless to even interact with these children. She was never going to see any of them again, whether she was actually adopted or transferred. This life of hers seemed to be nothing but a fleeting dream.

She saw Renee return with the children and Klay, each of them sitting down patiently as she searched for the eggs in the fridge and the skillet.

"Ms. Renee?"

"Yes Schiza?" she responded as she cracked open an egg on the pan.

"Is life…are we just dreamed up by someone? Like God?"

She stopped paying attention to her cooking. "Well, no. Does it really seem like it to you?"

The black snake. Sonic talking to her and being able to feel him. Her life, what she saw, certainly seemed to be some kind of fantasy. "Yes…"

She looked at her, very concerned, until she noticed a burning stench. "Damn it, I'm burning these eggs!"

She wondered if she could suddenly imagine the eggs tasting better as she ate.

The sunlight was bathing her in warm light as she sat on one of the chairs outside on the playground. She watched John and Maxwell play what seemed to be cops and robbers together. They were shouting, running, and pointing fingers at each other, pretending they were guns. They even sometimes played dead when they got "shot", falling backwards onto the earth. She was still holding onto Sonic, sitting on her lap as she began to pet him mindlessly.

She remembered that when she was back at school, recess was also an escape for her, but it was also a nightmare to her as well. Some days, she would have fun as she played jump rope with her friends, coming up with silly rhymes as they hopped. Other days, however, some children would want to pick on her.

She thought she was back there again as she watched them play, back on the school playground, as she overheard some girls playing jump rope. They were chanting a rhyme that she was familiar with. She still knew the lyrics to it to this day, as it hurt her deeply.

"Schiza the skunk, who looks like a mop, cries so much that she wouldn't stop! 'They call me messy,' she made a fussy, 'why don't they just call me Jessie?' Schiza's smelly, Schiza's a crybaby, have a cuppa milk, so you shut…"

She tried to escape from these children, hurt by what they said. She ran as fast as she could, her legs throbbing as it seemed as if she was going through a hallway of stares. The children were gazing at her in disgust, some she could hear muttering that she was a crybaby. There goes Schiza the skunk, running away from us…she's weird! she imagined them also saying, probably also laughing at her as she dashed away from the playground, into the woods that circled it. She didn't care that she was only making her teachers worry and her parents infuriated with her attempting to run away from school again; the forest was an escape for her. As she entered it, tears poured forth from her eyes. She could only bury her face into a nearby tree, sobbing that she wanted to stay here forever. Never go to school again, never go home again, just live in the woods, like a skunk.

If I really am a skunk…I should live like one. Just live here, live in a hole, only coming out when it's night time so no one can see me. I would want to live like an animal than live with my mom and dad.

She was staring at Sonic's eyes, hoping that he could somehow read her eyes and feel her pain. She felt like she was back there, back to the school and that wretched house where her mother and father lived, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Schiza, what's going on with you?"

She glanced up, seeing it was Klay, smirking assuredly at her.

For some reason she couldn't understand, she felt more comfortable with Klay than the other children. Maybe because he was older and knew he shouldn't disparage her of the tiniest little flaws she knew she had, or maybe because of all the times she met him, he was always nice to her. She looked at him for a while, him still grinning, then she spoke.

"Thinking about the school I used to go to."

"Oh yeah? And what about it?" he questioned as he began to sit on one of the chairs, facing her.

"I remember…that I was sitting in the playground one day, and there were these girls playing jump rope, and they started to sing about me. I ran away from them and I went to the woods, because I wanted to get away from them as far as possible…"

"You went into the woods, huh?" he repeated, sounding interested. "What did the kids call you?"

"They would call me names, like call me Schiza the skunk and Schiza the mop. They always made fun of how I looked."

"Well, you shouldn't listen to them, Schiza. Kids are kids. They're going to be cruel and call you that stuff, even though they know nothing of what was going on in your life. That's just how they are. Hell, teens can do the same thing. They criticize other people because they want to feel better about themselves."

She lingered onto his words carefully as he began to lounge on the chair, his legs folded and staring out in the yard, the sun also hitting his face. "But that doesn't mean you should be afraid of kids your age, Schiza. Maybe John and Maxwell will like you, you never know. Life is all about taking chances. If you don't take chances, then you're going to have a real cruddy life. Take my word for it."

"But what if they really don't like me?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice, looking up at him.

"Well…you don't know, Schiza. Sometimes you gotta stop asking yourself the 'what ifs' and just take a chance. If they don't like you, then Schiza, I'm not sure how long you're going to be here, and I'm not sure how long they're going to be here either, but once you're out, you don't have to worry about it because you'll probably not see them again. Just go out there and have fun, Schiza. I think you have enough worry in your life."

He was right. She was tired of worrying what people thought of her all the time. It wasn't right for her to just sit out here, wishing that she had friends, when the opportunity to make them was right in front of her all this time. She couldn't let herself be in a social prison, and be crippled with loneliness for the rest of her life.

"Maybe…maybe I'm going to play with them, Klay," she said, as she smiled a little.

"Atta girl! You go out there and have fun. You're a kid. You're going to grow up quick and you won't be able to do these kinds of things again."

She delicately placed Sonic on the chair, making sure he was sitting up right. Klay began to watch her as she gathered enough courage to go up to the children and ask if she could play. They responded positively, telling her the rules of the game before they all began to run, pointing gun fingers at each other and shouting, and she looked like for the first time in a while, she had fun without the aid of Sonic.

He looked at her Sonic toy. As he got to learn more about Schiza, he was reminded of himself when he was younger. His past life seemed to flash before him as he listened to her speak about her worries and as she gripped Sonic close to her chest. He remembered being as young as her, living what seemed to be a happy life. He used to be as timid as her, speaking softly and not approaching anybody due to a fear of being hurt. How he changed from a boy who seemed to be afraid of everything to a teen who didn't mind those same fears, he wasn't sure how it happened. Maybe because Renee changed everything for him.

"Alright you guys, it's lunch time! Come inside before your food gets cold!" Renee shouted as she opened the door. As she looked for the children, she was amazed by this sight: Schiza laughing and smiling, playing with the boys.

"Schiza, you actually are starting to play with the boys! I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed as she gave her a small hug.

As Schiza and the two boys ran back inside the home, she looked back at Klay, who was still sitting idly by himself.

"Did…did you actually convince Schiza to play with the other kids, Klay? I saw you two talking to each other…"

"Schiza reminds me when I was younger. And as you already know, my childhood wasn't exactly the best. I was scared of everything, like talking to the other kids, simply because of what was going on…" he replied, his voice disappearing a little by each word, nodding off.

"Yeah, but I'm glad you decided to take your life and make it so you could help kids who went through the same things, like Schiza. I'm…very happy that you actually got her to smile. Maybe she's going to turn out okay after all…"

He continued to look forward, watching the grass sway in the breeze, the leaves fluttering across the yard. He continued to reflect on his life until Renee finally talked.

"I really don't know if you want baked beans, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese, so if you don't, I got a frozen dinner in the freezer that you can eat."

"You know, all that sounds really good. I love baked beans. You should make them more often."

She smiled as he walked away into the home. As she looked at the chairs she saw her Sonic stuffed animal, looking as if it was relaxed as it laid there.

She picked it up and couldn't help but stare at it. She seemed to notice something really mysterious and eerie about it. Its eyes seemed to speak of something, and the more she stared at it, the more they seemed to glow.

He wants to be real, like you and me!

She took him inside, the playground now still and silent.


	13. Chapter 13

She was sitting comfortably on the couch, watching cartoons on the TV. She had all of her stuffed animals sitting next to her, Sonic on her lap. The other children were still playing and being rowdy, running around and creating a commotion. She could see that Klay and Renee were in the kitchen area, but she could barely hear anything they were saying over the sound of the running of feet and the cartoon character's voice blaring in the room.

She was a little annoyed with the racket, as she wanted to relax with her toys and watch TV, but it was difficult to pay attention to it without jacking the volume all the way up. The show wasn't even very interesting to her; she simply wanted to sit down and watch something.

"Excuse me, but can you…" They didn't even hear her as they continued to chase each other, saying what sounded like incomprehensible blabbering and yelling.

"Excuse me, but…" They still ignored her as they began to excitedly talk about how everyone needed to board the plane to escape a monster. "Forget airline secouwity, here comes the big bad monster!" Maxwell began to roar, picking up the plane and shaking it.

"Can you guys be quiet? I'm trying to watch TV," she said a little louder.

Maxwell and John both turned to look at her, surprised and offended that she asked them that. "The TV is loud enough," Maxwell responded.

"I know, but…I'm trying to calm down. And you guys are making me nervous…"

"How are we making you nervous? We're just having fun!"

"Yeah!" John agreed. "You should play with us again, Schiza! Then you'll know."

"I don't really want to play, you guys! I just want to sit down and watch TV, and you guys are being loud!"

"Then…" John burred, eyeing her toys. "How about we play with one of your stuffed animols? Then we'll be quiet!"

He grabbed Lucky from its seat, trying to carry it away from her, until Schiza grabbed its arm with both of her hands. "Leave Lucky alone! I don't want you taking her!"  
"But we want to play with her!" he whined. "I only want to borrow her!"

She began to tug harder, but John still had a good grip. "Let go! She's not yours!"

"John, let her go. I don't want to play with a stupid cat anyways," Maxwell said, trying to make him stop.

"Don't call her stupid!" She tugged with more force, but John still wouldn't let go, resulting in fluff being spread on the floor as Lucky's arm was torn off.

"Uh oh…" John whispered, worried.

She looked at the fluff, in complete astonishment. She promised she would take good care of Lucky, never harm her just because she somehow had a missing eye, and she was now in pieces. She imagined the fluff as blood, Lucky screaming in pain and misery.

The scream echoed in her head a thousand times over as she imagined the boy doing the same to Sonic. She began to snivel at the thought of him getting hurt, disturbed that this boy was so close to harming him. She was in despair as to what he did to Lucky, simply because he was selfish and uncaring.

She took her fist and punched him in the nose, her anger overtaking her. John staggered, Maxwell alarmed and trying to keep him on his feet.

He kept gripping his nose, tears welling up in his eyes. He began to become choked up as deep red blood gushed out of it, screaming and wailing.

Renee immediately ran into the main room, Klay following. "What the sam hell just happened here? Oh my God John, what happened? Did Maxwell play too hard with you?" she exclaimed.

"No! Schiza hit John right in the nose! I've seen it with my own two eyes!" Maxwell shouted.

"Schiza, did you really do this? Why on earth would you hit this poor kid? I expect a good answer out of you, missy!"

Schiza was once again afraid of what was going to happen to her. She did something bad. She hit another child, which was something she knew to never do, but she couldn't help but do it. "I'm…I'm sorry, Ms. Renee. I…didn't mean it…"

"Well, I think you did mean it! You just hit this kid square on the nose, pretty hard for a kid your age! I have no tolerance for this kind of thing, missy, and…"

"Renee, let me talk to her. Maybe Schiza really didn't mean it," Klay suddenly spoke, Renee stopping her scolding as she listened to him.

"Well…how about you talk to her about this while I try to stop the bleeding and get John to calm down? Now, come on John, let's get a chair. You're supposed to keep your head up…" she fussed as she escorted him to the kitchen, John still bawling loudly through the house.

"Come on Schiza, come to my room. I want to talk to you." He gripped her hand, slowly taking her to the hallway.

She thought on how everyone seemed to hate her now as she walked to his room. She should've never hit him! What was wrong with her? She was going to be transferred for sure, or sent away to somewhere worse! She was now an even worse child, and she would only get worse from here!

His room was a little noisy and somewhat in disarray, as he had his clothes stacked up in the corner and there were magazines near the edge of his bed, a radio playing rock music loudly. He turned the radio's volume low, as Schiza still stood near the doorway. "Have a seat," he ushered as he pat the bed.

She hesitated, then began to walk slowly towards it, her bouncing a little as she sat.

"Yeah, my room isn't exactly the cleanest of rooms here, but I'm working on it. So, what happened back there? What made you punch John so hard that his nose started to bleed? I don't think you're the type of kid who would do that just because you really wanted to."

"I'm sorry, Klay. I got really mad because he tore Lucky's arm off, and…and…" she sniffled. "I promised to take care of Lucky, even if she wasn't perfect." He nodded. "And…I didn't want to imagine him hurting Sonic too…it really scared me and made me mad…"

"You really like Sonic, huh? I always see him with you and Renee was telling me on how you thought he was…real to you. So you just got so mad that you couldn't help but punch him, huh?"

"Yeah. And I…really didn't mean it. Well, I did do it, but I was just…so scared..." she murmured.

"To be honest Schiza, I probably would've done the same thing if I was younger."

"Really?" She looked up at him.

"There was a toy I was really attached to as well. It was a tiger stuffed animal I named Stripes, and man, I dragged him everywhere I went. Throughout the house, to the restaurant, anywhere. And for the longest time, he was pretty much my only friend."

"Same thing with me and Sonic! When my mom and dad would let me, I carried Sonic everywhere, and he's a really good friend to me! I don't want him to get hurt and end up like Lucky…"

"Yeah Schiza, I can totally understand why you acted that way. Your stuffed animals were your family, and John totally didn't get that and ripped Lucky up. If I was the same age as you and he did that to Stripes, I would've done the same thing. Because he hurt my best friend, someone I actually called family…"

"What happened to Stripes? Do you still have him?"

He sighed. "No. Soon Schiza, you're going to get friends, real ones, and you just realize that you don't need a stuffed animal anymore. Besides, I'm 16. It would be weird if I still talked to him and all."

"Even if I was 16 I would still talk to Sonic. When I'm all by myself with no one around, he's real, and we would play or he would try to make me feel better. He even hugs me when I'm sad."

"He's…real to you, huh?" He knew he really shouldn't, but he didn't want to make Schiza upset. He played along. "He seems to be really nice, making you feel better when all that stuff was going on, huh?"

She nodded, her looking down on the floor.

"Stripes made me feel better too. Maybe not actually become real or anything, but you know, he was comfort. I dealt with a lot when I was a kid. My parents wanted to have nothing to do with me when I was around 6. They suddenly left me, and I was in the house by myself…To this day, I don't know why they did it, but maybe I'll never know the answer. No one knew what was going on, and I felt like no one loved me or I really wasn't important. I was actually out on the streets for a while until the police noticed me and took me here. And I was a lot like you. I was scared, I wanted nothing to do with the other kids…but someone actually came into my life and changed me. If it wasn't for her, I would still be depressed and scared."

"Who was she?" she asked, looking at him again.

"Surprisingly, it was…Ms. Renee. She pretty much taught me to just live in the moment, you know? Not take things so seriously, enjoy life while you're still here, and she pretty much shaped me into a better person while I stayed here. I've stayed here the longest than anyone, and…that's still an issue that I have to this day. I question my self-worth a lot, wonder if I really am loved in this world…but Renee has kept me sane for all those years. She was my angel.

"And…maybe you do have one. A guardian angel that watches over you and protects you from harm. Someone who helps you from not going completely insane or give up on your life. Someone who just gives you enough hope to keep on going. And maybe Sonic is this angel, giving you hope. I could be wrong, but...it's possible."

She thought about what he just said. She remembered that before the day Sonic became real, she prayed to God for him to be real, just someone who would be friends with her and play with her…did God actually sent down an angel to comfort and help her from everything she went through?

"Anyways Schiza, I can understand why you're upset. And even though you really shouldn't hit John, I think I'm just going to tell you that when something like that happens to you and you're really sad, angry, or upset, you can talk to Renee or me. Renee is there to help you, and I don't care if you even wake me up in the middle of the night, you can talk to me too. I really think you're a good kid Schiza, and I want you to be happy, have friends who care about you, and let yourself be a kid. I want you to remember that, okay?"

She nodded again as she got up from the bed, Klay also standing up.

"I'm going to let you talk to Renee and I want you to tell her that you're sorry and explain why you reacted that way. I'm sure she won't be mad at you anymore and she'll accept your apology. Renee does seem a little scary when she's mad, but I'm sure if you say you're sorry and know what you did you shouldn't do again, she won't hold a grudge at all. Okay, Schiza?"

"Okay Klay. I'm glad you talked to me," she replied as she walked towards the doorway.

"I'm happy I talked to you too. I'll see you later, okay kid?"

She smiled a little as she began to walk out into the main room, Klay overhearing Schiza apologizing to Renee.

He looked in the closet, his room's light glowing on a small, stuffed tiger toy, looking messy and ruffled. However, the tiger's face still looked innocuous and comforting to him.

He could only glance at it for a while, reminding him of the trials he survived in his childhood, and then he shut the closet door.


	14. Chapter 14

A month passed while Schiza was inside the foster home. Renee was happy to see her improve so fast as the days went by, as she began to smile and play more often. Her scars and bruises were disappearing, healing up nicely, and she gained a little weight. A few days ago Renee shopped for clothes for her to wear and she was becoming a beautiful girl, her hair smooth and tied up into a ponytail with a shiny red ribbon, wearing a white, lacey shirt and khakis as she played outside with Maxwell and John.

However, she still could hear her speaking to Sonic when she's alone in her room, talking with him about her day or her current worries. Even though she was gaining friends she was still pretending that Sonic was real. She talked to Klay about this in the afternoon, still concerned.

"I'm a little concerned too but you have to remind yourself something, Renee: she's 7. She's a little kid. She doesn't have much of a family and she replaces that with stuffed animals. If she wants to pretend Sonic is real, then let her. I think it's just a phase."

"But Klay…you remember the incident where she saw a black snake talking to her? What if she hallucinates a lot and is delusional about Sonic being real? What if she's…?"

"Woah woah woah, you can't be saying she has deep psychological issues, Renee!" Klay exclaimed, holding his hands up. "I talked to her a lot over this month and I think she's fine! I even made her think I believe her when she says Sonic is real, and even if he is just some delusion she dreamed up he seems to be really nice to her."

"Wh-what do you mean?" she stuttered, a little afraid.

"She…" he paused. "She says that he plays with her and hugs her, you know, comforts her when she's upset. I said that he could possibly be her guardian, you know?"

"But it's not normal, Klay! I don't want her to continue doing this…It's important for a child to know the difference between reality and fantasy, and I'm not going to have people think she's crazy!" She marched out of the kitchen, strutting herself to the hallway until Klay asked her, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to have a good talk with Schiza about this. I can't let her go on like this. She needs to know, and I need to at least try to let her know."

Schiza was in one of the playrooms, going inside a chest that had many clothes and dresses piled in it. She was wearing a pink dress, complete with a gleaming silver crown. "How do I look, Sonic? Do I look like a good princess?" she queried, showing him her outfit.

"You're the best princess I ever saw," he said, smiling.

"How about you? Are you going to play dress up with me?"

"Uh…no thanks, Schiza. I…don't really want to wear a dress…" he replied, sounding a little nervous.

"Come on, Sonic! It'll be fun!" She took his hand and directed him to the chest, choosing an outfit for him to wear. "This one might look nice on you…" It was a purple, sparkling dress, something that Sonic began to grimace a little over.

"Are you sure there's nothing in there like…a pirate suit or something more…you know, boyish?"

"Come on, Sonic! Play with me, please?" She held both of his hands, looking up at him, with those big, round brown eyes.

He knew he couldn't resist her plea. "Alright…promise not to laugh though, okay?" He took the dress and began to put it on.

Schiza couldn't help but think Sonic looked cute in this dress. He was blushing a little, embarrassed, but he was glad that she wasn't laughing at him and was just enjoying herself.

"I know something that will make you even better!" She began to untie her pony tail, putting the ribbon around his quills and creating a bow on his head. "There! You should look at yourself in the mirror! You look very pretty!"

He thought he looked silly, especially with that bow on his head. But he turned to the sides, glancing at the mirror. "So you think I'm pretty with this, huh?"

He felt himself being embraced; turning his head to see Schiza was hugging him from the back. "I really like you, Sonic. I'm glad you're my friend."

"I really like you too, Schiza," he said, as he began to turn around and hug her back. "I'm glad I met you too."

She heard a knock on the door, Schiza realizing that Sonic was back into a stuffed animal, the dress falling from him and the ribbon still on his head. "Come in!" she sounded.

Renee came in through the door, once again seeing her playing with Sonic. "Hey Schiza, what are you doing in here? Playing dress up?"

"Yeah, I was playing that with Sonic. We were having a lot of fun."

"That was something I wanted to talk to you about, Schiza," she said, as she packed the chest and put the lid back on, sitting on top of it. "This Sonic. I need to tell you something and I want you to listen really well, okay?"

She looked up at her, still holding Sonic close to her body.

"I know you're a kid and all that Schiza, but…I'm concerned about you and Sonic. You…do know that he's not real, right?"

"He is, Ms. Renee. Not to you, but he's…"

"He isn't real, Schiza. He's just a toy. Does he seem real when he…talks to you and comforts you?"

"He is real, Ms. Renee! I can feel him when I pet him, when I touch him, when he hugs me…he just can't show himself to you! He said that in this letter he wrote me once!"

"Schiza, does he tell you to do bad things? Does he threaten you?"

"No!" she yelled forcefully. "He would never do that!"

"Well, that's good, but you need to know the difference between reality and fantasy, Schiza. I'm not sure how he's 'real to you', but I'm concerned. Either you have a really big imagination or you're…hallucinating the whole thing, like the snake."

"Hallucinating?" she repeated, confused.

"Yes. It means you're seeing and hearing things that aren't really there. And I think Sonic really isn't there. When he starts talking to you, I want you to ignore him. He may seem nice, but I don't want him to start taking advantage of you or threatening you…"

"But he…won't do that…" she whispered, a little worried over her words.

"Most hallucinations tend to do that, Schiza. And I want you to be safe and not have that issue, alright? I worry about you, kiddo," she said, as she gave her a little squeeze. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I…guess so…" She looked back at Sonic, still unsure about rejecting him.

"Well, I'm preparing lunch right now so in a few minutes you need to go to the kitchen, but…just try to tell yourself that what you're seeing isn't real, alright?"

As she closed the door gently, she was left there alone, with Sonic, who hasn't turned back.

She knew Sonic would never tell her to do things she didn't want to do or hurt her in anyway. For as long as she had him, he was nothing short but kind and loving to her. But she began to question herself. The snake she saw was just as real as Sonic and no one else but her saw it…and no one else but her can see Sonic talking and interacting with her. He seemed to be an ethereal being, disappearing constantly out of her sight whenever anyone else was close to her.

"Sonic? Sonic, you can hear me, right?"

There was no answer. He continued to stare at her.

"Sonic, I know you don't know, but…tell me what you think you are. Are you a ghost? A hallucination? A…angel?"

He still was silent. She began to pick him up, examining him. He was still a toy, complete with the stuffing and the stitches. There was nothing out of the ordinary about him, except sometimes it seemed like his eyes were glowing vibrantly, even in the dark, as if he was still trying to communicate with her.

She was still unsure about him. He did seem to be real, but she never heard of toys becoming real to other children in real life.

She took the ribbon off of him and took him to the bedroom, letting him sit as she got ready for lunch.

Pagebreak

It was yet another seemingly quiet night, the trees rustling in the wind as she tried to get herself to sleep. She was panic-stricken and apprehensive about everything that she had her eye on. The silhouette the trees created: will they suddenly scrape at the windows, pointing to go somewhere, ordering her around? Will the shadows suddenly dance, laughing at her and yell, "Foolish girl!" over and over, taunting and toying with her? Will something, like a monster, suddenly jump out and eat her? She began to question the reality of everything she saw, thinking it was suddenly going to become a hallucination and hurt her somehow. She was even afraid to hold Sonic close to her to protect her from the shadows, frightened that he would become real and suddenly threaten her, like Renee said. She hid in her covers, her eyes only visible, as she began to try to count sheep to get herself to sleep.

"One, two, three, four…" She stopped as she suddenly heard a noise coming from somewhere. She looked around for the source of the sound. She thought it sounded like footsteps, as if someone was going to come into her door.

She continued. "Five, six, seven, eight…" She heard scraping, as she looked up into the windows. She thought the trees were trying to get inside, scratching the window apart with their claws.

"Nine, ten…" The door was opened. She couldn't see what this figure looked like, but it sounded like he was breathing coarsely, having a big stature, also hearing what seemed to be pants being unzipped.

He came closer to her, the breathing becoming heavier and louder, until it was as if she could smell his breath, reeking of liquor. She tried to cover her nose as the stench became too much for her to handle, until she felt both of her arms overpowered by something, being pushed down into the bed, this thing crawling onto the bed and climbing on top of her.

"Eleven, twelve…" Her voice was shaking and she was about to cry. She began to snivel until she heard a voice say, "Shut the fuck up, and if you tell your mother, I'll kill you."

She looked around, seeing herself in what looked like a beach, on top of a pier on top of gray, opalescent water. She looked straight, seeing a peculiar, but yet strangely magnificent sight: a yellow sun beginning to sink into the sea, with a pier twisting around to it, making a spiraling pathway into it. The skies looked as if it was the morning, a fine, cloudy mist covering the sea, as she could see some pink at the end of the golden skies.

"You must go to the sun quickly, before it goes away! If you don't, you will never smile and play, not even another day!" She heard a squeaky, tiny voice say, hearing many others repeat in unison, "You must go to the sun! You must go to the sun! Never smile another day!" The voices became even more higher pitched as she listened to them, sounding more demented every second. She didn't want to hear it anymore and she could only see this one pier and miles of gray sea all around her. She began to run across the spiraled pathway.

She wasn't sure on how she was going to run across it safely without falling when it began to turn, but she thought if she ran fast enough, she would be able to cross it without falling. As she began to push her legs harder, prepared for this spiral, they suddenly felt like lead, as one of her legs plummeted through the wood and trapped her.

She wanted to keep on going, but she began to feel terrified. Her heart was jumping and skipping, she sweat as she tried to pull her leg out of the hole. She couldn't even lift it; it was becoming heavier by the minute she was struggling to free her leg. The wood began to splinter and crack as she used all her strength to yank her leg, her arms shaking as she tried all her might, but it wouldn't budge.

She saw Sonic, who was also by the pier, glancing at her struggling. She expected him to come over and help her, but he stood, unmoving.

"Sonic! Help me, please! I'm about to…" She had no time to scream as her leg took her, plunging into the sea. The water seemed to keep her under, as if it was using millions of hands to keep her head submerged. She tried to keep her head over the tide, the water sucking her in, as she screamed. "So-…Sonic! He-…Help!" As the sea began to devour her slowly, she saw Sonic still rigid, not even moving an inch as he watched Schiza, his princess, drown before his very eyes.

As she began to sink into the sea, her body going under, glancing at the surface before she died, she saw Sonic suddenly turn into a big, black crow with ruby, sinister eyes, cawing loudly at her death.

She bolted upright in her bed, clutching herself to see if she was still alive. She was so scared that she was gasping as she tried to breathe, but she was all right. She was still alive; it was only a dream.

"Schiza, are you alright? Did you have a bad dream?"

She looked to her right, seeing Sonic, who was yet again alive, rushing towards her. He sat by her, but was surprised at her suddenly turning around, avoiding him.

"Schiza, what's wrong? Why are you avoiding me?" He began to softly touch her shoulder, him trying to reassure her.

She couldn't help it. She had to at least tell him why she couldn't talk to him anymore. She felt his hand touching her and reaching out to try to calm her down. He seemed real and he seemed nice.

"Sonic…I can't talk to you anymore…" she sadly replied, not even wanting to look at him.

"Why not? Schiza, please talk to me. At least tell me why you can't talk to me anymore, please…"

"Ms. Renee says you're not real. Just a hallucination. I…don't even know what you are, Sonic. And I'm scared that you'll start to hurt me."

"Do you…?" he inched closer, trying to brush the hair out of her eyes. "Do you really think I'll…hurt you?"

"I don't know, Sonic. But I just can't talk to you anymore…"

"Schiza…I need to tell you something. Something about me." She started to finally look over him, listening to what he had to say. However, she was still scared to turn around.

"You're the only one I can become real to. I really don't know why that is, but Schiza, without you, I'm…lonely. You know how I wish to be real, so I can talk to the people in your life, comfort you and protect you when someone is trying to hurt you…" She began to turn a little to his direction. "I'm only real to you when no one else is around and it's just me and you. And I don't know why that is, Schiza, in fact, I still don't know who I am or where I came from. I don't know if I'm a ghost, an angel, any of that, you know? But I like you, Schiza. The more I'm getting to know you, and the more I see you actually smile and play with the other children, it makes me really happy and I'm glad I'm real to you. But if you think I'll hurt you, well, that sucks, Schiza. Because ever since I've been with you, I've felt nothing but joy and happiness with you, and I would never think about hurting you."

She began to face him, taking a glimpse of him. She thought he could see a few tears developing in his eyes. She could only continue to look at him, as he reached over and enfolded her close to him.

"I don't care what Renee says to you…even if I am a hallucination, I promise the only thing I'll ask of you is your friendship. I don't have anyone else to ask for that but you. Please."

She folded her arms around him as well, feeling his warmth, his fur, and his tears. "I'll talk to you again, Sonic. What I said is still true. I really like you, and I'm glad you're my friend."

He instantly felt better when she said that, nuzzling her and squeezing her tighter.

She heard a drop of something fall on the window, making a "plip" sound. It happened again, until she noticed that suddenly, many raindrops were gathering on the window. It was raining, and she could hear thunder growling in the distance.

"I like it when it rains, Sonic. It calms me down."

"I don't, but good to see that we're inside and we can just watch and hear it from here, huh?"

They sat together, hearing the rain drop on the window pane and the thunder rumbling, Schiza being so relaxed by the sounds that she soon fell back asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

The sun rose slowly over Schiza, the light beckoning for her to wake up as it quickly filled the room. Her eyes slowly opened as she found Sonic back into a stuffed toy, leaning beside her. She yawned loudly as she stretched, picking Sonic up and once again holding him as she sneaked out of the door quietly, not disturbing the other children's slumber.

She crept a little in Renee's office, seeing her slumped over in her big leather chair, snoring noisily through the house, her mouth opened as she croaked. Schiza always thought it was strange to see her always sleeping in her office, either on her desk or in her chair. Although there were many beds in the home, she never saw Renee actually sleep in one. She even saw her once passed out in her van, the children wondering where she was until Klay investigated the van, seeing the keys on the floorboard and her head on the steering wheel. She probably got so exhausted she couldn't help but nap when she came home running an errand. She was usually so busy that she seemed to never have any time to sleep on an actual bed…As she thought of this fact, she suddenly felt something on her shoulder. As she turned around, she saw Sonic, gripping lightly on it.

"Good morning, Schiza. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Sonic. But I'm wondering about Ms. Renee."

"What are you wondering about her?" he asked, as he peeked inside the office.

"She never sleeps on a bed. I always see her sleeping in her room like that or in her car. Is she really that busy?"

"Well, she's got to take care of four kids, maybe more than that later, and I'm sure she's exhausted by the end of the day. Being in her place seems like a lot of hard work."

"Yeah, that's true," she replied. "Do you think she likes to work that hard?"

"She really seems to care about you guys. She seems to work that hard because she wants to see you all happy. Like I want to see you happy. Working that hard to see everyone either adopted or happy seems to be rewarding to her, so I'm sure she does."

"But I heard it's not that good for you to work that hard. I think she needs to at least sleep somewhere more comfy."

Sonic started to walk inside the room, checking on her. "She seems to be out. How about we take her and let her sleep on a bed?"

"I don't think we should do that, Sonic! What if she wakes up and she sees me talking to you again?"

To Schiza's amazement, Sonic began to lift Renee up from the chair, but it seemed like he was about to drop her. "Come on, hurry and help me lift her!"

She knew if she didn't assist him he would drop her and she would have to come up with some story as to why she was on the floor, so she quickly held her, both of them carefully carrying her out of the office and into the hallway, to the bedroom.

"Just a little bit more, Schiza. We're nearly there. Now you're going to have to use everything you got and lift her into the bed."

She grunted as she mustered all her strength, her arms shaking as she slowly raised her, then carefully lowering her into the bed. She continued to sleep as they finished their deed, her turning in her bed, nestling her pillow.

"Well, that wasn't too hard. Just needed a little teamwork is all," he said as he glanced at Schiza. "Now, say how about you and I play something, like a board game?"

"That sounds good, Sonic. I want to play Candy Land; Monopoly was kind of hard to understand."

"Sounds good to me," he sounded, leaving Renee alone in her bed as he shut the door slowly.

Renee began to snore, drool creeping into her pillow, until she was abruptly awoken by her cell phone ringing. Her eyes slowly analyzed her surroundings as the phone chimed, her surging from the bed as she realized this wasn't where she slept. She picked up her phone from her pocket and answered it.

"Hello, this is the Winona County Foster Home, I'm Renee Lancaster, the foster parent. What can I do for you?"

"Hello Renee!" a big, hearty voice yelled through the speakers. "I'm Roger Valeheart, and I was wondering if you had any children for adoption. My wife and I want a child, but we thought it would be better if we adopted instead."

"Oh, okay! Currently I have three kids and a teenager here, so you can surely drop on by, we'll discuss your history and all that, and you can check on all of the kids here. That alright with you?"

"Certainly. I'll be here around in the afternoon with my wife, Lorena."

"Okay, that sounds good then! I'll see you then!"

She shut her phone, excited that someone was looking to adopt a child from here. However, during that entire phone call, she couldn't help but feel something stinging on her side and was just making her uncomfortable. She felt around it, searching for the source of the pain. When she found it, which felt as it was some kind of needle, she held it up to the light for closer inspection, wondering why there was something sharp on her bed.

It felt too hollow to be a needle and didn't seem to be made from wood or metal. As she glanced at it from the sunlight, she saw that it was blue. It seemed to be a blue quill, coming from…a blue hedgehog?

"I must be so tired that…I'm seeing Sonic too. I think I should get more sleep from now on…"

Pagebreak

The children were at the table, Schiza eating a melted cheese sandwich ravenously, as she felt especially hungry that day. They were all making casual conversation with each other, talking about what they were going to do after they ate or about the animals they saw creeping around the backyard, until Renee heard a knock on the door.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, and this is important. Someone is actually here, interested in adopting. So don't act out, alright guys?"

"Adopting!" John and Maxwell began to get excited, slamming their hands on the table as if they were drums.

"Settle down, you two! You don't want to act out already, right?" She opened the door, meeting Roger Valeheart, who was holding onto his gray felt hat.

"Oh, hello Roger! I was expecting you! Do you want to come inside the house and step in my office so we can discuss this?"

"Certainly," he answered, as he stepped inside with his wife in tow.

"This is everyone who's inside the home right now, and we're having lunch. Hey guys, this is Roger and Lorena Valeheart, and they're our guests today! Be sure to treat them with respect, alright?"

The children and Klay waved at them, except for Schiza, who was slurping her tomato soup. As she glanced at Roger's eyes, she suddenly felt uncomfortable and began to sink back into her chair, avoiding them.

"Okay, let's step into my office a moment and we'll discuss your eligibility for adoption. And don't get offended and think you guys are bad parents, we do this to everyone…" her voice grew fainter as they walked into the hallway, going inside her room.

"Oh boy, one of us might get adopted! It could be you, it could be Schiza, it could be Klay!" John said to Maxwell, so thrilled that he began to squirm in his seat.

"Excuse me." Klay rose from his seat, throwing his paper plate away and going inside his room, shutting the door.

Schiza began to put her dishes and trash away as well, wondering why Klay suddenly walked out of their conversation. As John and Maxwell talked animatedly about the adoption, she went into the hallway, knocking on Klay's door.

"Who is it?" he responded, sounding a little angry.

"It's me, Schiza. I wanted to talk to you."

She could hear footsteps coming near the door, and then he opened it, she only being able to the room. "Come in."

She walked into his room, still seeing that it was a mess, Klay closing the door and treading back into his bed, reading what looked like a music magazine.

"Hi Klay. Why do you sound upset?"

"I'm not upset." He continued to look at the magazine, reading a random column on synths.

"You sound like it. And you suddenly walked out of us having lunch. What's the matter?"

He hid away the magazine, shutting off his radio. "So you're going to talk to me whenever I'm upset, like I talk to you during those times? That's nice of you. It's…actually about the whole adoption thing. It's a long story, but I'll explain it to you."

"So, Mr. and Mrs. Valeheart, is it? I'm glad you came here, looking to adopt. Have you ever had experience with children before, like taken care of them or babysit them or anything like that?"

Roger and Lorena were sitting across from her on a brown couch, Roger staring at her intensely. Roger looked to be quite old, having black hair that was gray on the sides. He had a very stout face and his bright green apple eyes didn't break their stare. Lorena had curly brown hair, wearing makeup and somewhat extravagant clothing, but Renee thought she looked very pretty as she sat there, talking to her.

"Yes, I actually used to run a daycare back when I was a teen, and I was always interested in having a child and a family someday. And we decided it would be a good idea to adopt a child, give one of them a second chance."

"Well, that's great! Do you have any other children at home, adopted or otherwise?"

"No. And one of the reasons we came to adopt, was…we never had much luck with infants, I'm afraid," he said sorrowfully.

"Why is that?" She looked up from the paperwork, once again meeting Roger's gaze.

He was silent, choosing his words carefully. "Our first child we had…she was a beautiful baby. She already had a set of brown hair on her head, with gorgeous blue eyes. However, something happened a few months later when we had her." Renee looked at both of them seriously, knowing that this was a grave matter.

"Lorena came to her crib, and we found her, not breathing. She died, and we're not exactly sure why. The doctor ruled it as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome."

"I'm…very sorry to hear that, you two. What happened to your other child?"

"Our other child was also going to be a girl, and we hoped that it wouldn't be the same as last time. Then, Lorena had a miscarriage. We…were very devastated, and we weren't sure if we wanted to go down that route again. It's most likely not going to happen again, but…it's just an irrational fear of ours I would have to admit."

"I'm…sorry," she uttered, seeing Roger with tears in his eyes, Lorena trying to comfort him. "I can understand why you would want to adopt. A…miscarriage can be a very traumatizing event."

"Yes, it can be," he sniffled. "And we thought adopting was a good idea. There's so many children out there who survived many unspeakable things, and we would like to give one a second chance. Lorena always had the desire to have a little girl, and I saw that you had one."

"Yeah. Her name is Schiza. She is a very nice, albeit quiet girl. She came from a bad situation too, and I'm sure you could probably give her a good home."

"What happened to her?" Lorena questioned.

"Schiza…happened to be not very fortunate. When it came to her parents, anyways. Her father sexually and physically abused her at a very young age, and he also abused his wife to treat her horribly too. Turns out her father was sentenced to 20 years in jail, and her mother was sent to a psychiatric ward."

"That's…very terrible. At least she got out of there and her father was punished for what he did."

"Yeah, and if everything checks out with me, maybe you can adopt her tomorrow. However, although she doesn't act out or anything like that, she does have a few issues…"

"What would that be?" he asked, continuing his stare.

"Well, she has been doing better lately, she's been actually playing with the other children and she became good friends with the teenager, Klay. But she never really felt like she had a family, so she replaces that with stuffed animals. One of them got torn up and she became so upset she punched another one of the children's nose. She apologized, but she…actually thinks one of them is real and talking to her. I recently talked to her about this, but I'm not sure if she knows he's not real."

"Maybe if she feels like she has a family, she'll stop pretending that her stuffed animals are real. And we're hoping we can make her feel like that."

"I know that no one wants to adopt me, Schiza. I've been through so many people coming in and out of here, not wanting to adopt me. Even when I was a kid, no one wanted me. They always picked the other kids. And I know that this adoption is going to be the same as the others. I mean, if any of you guys get adopted, I would be happy for you, but yet I would be…disappointed, deeply, because I always wanted a family who won't bail out on me, and I know it's not going to happen."

Schiza listened to his story, saddened that after all Klay's been through, he was never even once considered for adoption.

"Maybe…you never know, they might…"

"I know it won't happen, Schiza. I'm 17, going to be 18 in a few months. Renee is going to have no choice but to kick me out of here. And it isn't like she wants to, it's because that's just how the system works. And I don't even know what the hell I'm going to do!" He sighed deeply, holding his head. "Renee saw me once, when I was 16, with a knife, and I said I was going to kill myself. She…managed to talk me out of it, and she tried to keep me here so I wouldn't be transferred to a hospital. She did so much for me, Schiza, you wouldn't believe how much she works for all of you. It's sad that she can't help every single one of us, like Jessica, but you can't help everyone. I'm sorry to make you think about those serious subjects Schiza, but I think you're smart and can understand why I feel upset over this."

She nodded. "There was a time I wanted to die too. But I knew it wouldn't solve anything."

"You're right, Schiza. Suicide doesn't really solve anything, but times were pretty dark back then."

He suddenly heard the office door being opened, hearing many footsteps walking out.

"Well Schiza, this is probably your time to shine. They could be interested in adopting you, so it's time for you to stop hearing me blabbing on about my problems and let you talk to them." He opened the door, showing her out. "If you get adopted though Schiza, I'll be very happy for you, but I'll be disappointed that I can't talk to you again. But…that's just how life works sometimes."

He saw Renee poking her head inside the room, scowling at how much a mess the place was, but smiling once she saw Schiza. "Schiza! Roger and Lorena, our guests, are interested in seeing you. Do you want to meet them?"

She nodded again.

"Okay, good! Klay, are you sure you don't want to step out of your room? You always do this when someone comes here, looking to adopt."

"I'm fine, Renee. I'll be okay, I swear."

She looked at him, concerned, but she quickly showed Schiza to them.

"You two can get to know her, while I talk to Klay for a bit, alright?" She went inside his room, shutting the door tightly.

Schiza couldn't hear them talking, as Roger and Lorena began to talk to her.

"Hello Schiza! I'm Roger, and this is my wife, Lorena. We're interested in having you in our family. We know you came from a rough situation, and we would like to give you a second chance. Would you be interested?"

She was a little scared, intimidated by Roger's tall stature and his green eyes that penetrated into her soul. However, she could tell that this family seemed nice, and that was something she always wanted. A nice, kind family to tend to her. She shook hands with him, smiling a little.

"Ah, great! So, what do you like to do, aside from playing with the other children?"

As they began talking, Renee began to walk towards Klay, who was lying on his bed, his eyes scanning the ceiling.

"Klay. I know how hard it is for you, especially since you're about to turn 18…"

"I feel hopeless, Renee. I don't even know what to do with my life. Am I just destined to go back living on the streets like I did when I was a kid?"

"Klay, I assure you, that's not going to happen again. I'm going to make it not happen again."

"But you know it, Renee! None of these parents are interested in adopting a 17 year old! I mean, I'm happy for Schiza and everything, but I just…don't know what to do."

She sat on the bed with him, holding his hand tightly. "Klay, that won't happen, and I'll tell you why that's not going to happen."

"Why?"

She got closer to him. "I'm going to see if I can adopt you as my own child. Sounds crazy, but I don't want you to go back to that situation again, Klay. I'm not going to let that happen to you."

"Are…are you serious, Renee?" He began to sit up, in disbelief over what she said. "I don't know how you're going to do that…"

"Klay, listen to me. I'm going to tell you something that you've never known about me. People always tell me I seem way too young to be a foster parent. I mean, do I look like foster parent material? I look like a damn hipster kid most of the time! But when I was in high school, I actually got pregnant at 17, the same age as you. Although the father never wanted to do anything with the child I was having, I…got myself ready to be a mom. I don't know why, but as the child grew inside of me, I wanted to take care of it and raise it the best I can, unlike my parents when I lived with them. But…" she paused solemnly. "My baby was born premature. I felt helpless as they tried to keep the baby alive, putting all kinds of tubes and wires on him. But despite everything they did for my baby, he died. And…it was a completely life changing event for me. I don't know why, but everyone always said that I took care of kids very well, and the death of my baby kind of…made me want to become a foster parent. So I can help kids who come from tough situations like you and Schiza. And ever since I had you in the home, I really felt like I was making a difference in your life and I really grew to like you. You…make me feel like you were my child, and I raised you, just like I would've raised my baby."

Klay could see she had a tear in her eye, but she swiftly brushed it away.

"And I don't want you back into that situation. What your parents did wasn't right at all, and I want to change everything for you, Klay. I want you to come out of this home a successful man, and if it even takes me into adopting you as my 17-year old son, so be it. I will do everything in my power to help you, just as long as you're not out there, homeless and in the streets."

Klay began to hide his face, Renee seeing that he was beginning to sob. "Thank you, Renee…" he tried to muster between tears. "I'm…so lucky that I met you..."

Renee had her hand over his shoulder as they walked out of his room; Klay's crying beginning to stop.

Hope is a tiny creature; elusive and hard to catch, and so easily broken. But once someone can hold it tenderly in their hands, it can bring happiness and give enough courage to keep the holder going.


	16. Chapter 16

It was dawn again, the light breaking through the bedroom in white strands, Schiza seeing the many little particles that danced when her eyes were opened. It was a few days since she last saw Roger and Lorena, who were interested in adopting her into their family. She couldn't contain her excitement since then, imagining what it would be like being accepting in a loving family. Would they play games with her all through the day, having fun and enjoying her company? Would they read her bedtime stories and tuck her in at night, being comforted by their love that she's able to sleep comfortably? Love her regardless of her flaws and accept her for who she was? That was all she wanted in her life. Although Sonic did many of these things, she felt that he could never replace the love of a mom and dad. A mom and dad that she could actually call "Mommy" and "Daddy".

She got up, this time the other children waking up earlier than her, probably waiting for Renee to cook them breakfast. As she groggily looked beside her, she saw Sonic, once again alive and moving, kicking his legs a little in the air and humming until he saw her awake.

"Good morning, Schiza. Had a good sleep?"

"Yeah. I don't remember my dream, but I think it was a good one. I'm wondering if this is the day that Roger will come and adopt me."

"Excited?" he asked, as Schiza nodded her head and smiled a little.

"I'm excited too. I would like to see you in a new family. I don't know much about them since I haven't seen much of them, but they seem nice."

"Yeah. I always wanted a family, Sonic. A family who will love me and play with me, like my parents used to a long time ago."

"What did you think happened that caused your family to…suddenly get all crazy and hurt you?"

She looked a little sad when she answered him in a quiet whisper. "I don't know, Sonic. All I know is that when they got married, my dad started hurting my mom and then they began to hurt me."

When she told him, she had a sudden flash in her mind. It was very quick, but was carved into her mind like deep wood engravings into her brain. The symbol they created wasn't a beautiful spiral that was split into a long and short line, with a flower beside it like she saw in so many wood carvings. It was chaotic, choppy, and so deep that her mind bled into the lines.

She suddenly visualized long, big, sticky fingers, a wet, very pink tongue licking them slowly. Then suddenly, she felt these fingers touching her all over, groping her, and she began to feel sick, uncomfortable.

"Sonic…I feel like…something's touching me right now," she murmured, using her hands to block where she felt these fingers feeling her.

"Who's touching you?" he quickly said, getting closer to her, concerned.

"I don't know, that's what's scary." Sonic began to gently clasp her with his arms around her waist, trying to pacify her. She still felt touching, not just from Sonic, but from something else she wasn't sure of. It was invisible, but it felt as real as an actual touch, as she began to feel something pushing into her, slowly, beginning to feel pain and fear.

"Sonic, something really hurts! He-…help…" She was being engulfed in panic, too afraid to speak any longer. It felt unrelenting, terrifying as it swallowed her as if she was falling into a deep, black chasm.

"Schiza, it's alright! Nothing's touching you! It's only me, Sonic!" He squeezed her harder into his body, humming slowly as if he was trying to put a crying baby to sleep. He suddenly felt wet tears on his chest, which made his humming faster and more discordant. His hugging became tighter, his humming more jarring, until Schiza thought she was feeling a tuft of feathers on her, as she heard a screeching caw.

She was awakened, hearing shrieking caws and a fluttering of wings that sounded as if they came from the window, a murder of crows flapping erratically and into the air, their cries sounding more distant as they flew away. However, the bedroom was still not quiet, still listening to the calls of the murder.

She saw Sonic at the very edge of the bed last time she saw him in her dream, but he was stiff and unmoving. He was once again a stuffed animal.

She rubbed her eyes, then crawled towards him, grabbing and cuddling him close to her body. The dream seemed very strange; a sudden, invisible touch that she felt as well in the dream, and Sonic suddenly becoming a bird? She read about certain dreams being symbols to something in her life, but it was too straightforward, and he transformed into a bird probably because of the crows outside her window. But yet, it was disturbing, feeling those sticky fingers touching her, and feeling that fear that paralyzed her, Sonic unable to calm her.

Still, she had her doubts, and she was curious about Sonic's origin. Maybe the dream was trying to tell her that Sonic was possibly some kind of shape shifter; able to transform into a toy, his physical form, and his possibly real form, a mystical animal, like a crow.

She heard of those Native American tales when they were studying them at her school, where there was a crow that was known to be interested in the humans and sometimes helped them. But he was also a trickster, as he once stole a box full of the moon and stars from a seagull and opened it, creating the night. He sometimes also pulled pranks on the humans just for his own amusement. He was mostly good, but he was tricky and shouldn't be trusted constantly.

"Sonic?" She said his name in hopes of getting his attention, but he was still immobile and in stitches. "Are you really…a crow? Are you…lying to me?"

As she held him, his head began to be lopsided, staring at her, but she felt as if his eyes were glowing again. He said nothing.

She studied him as she continued to hold him, still hearing the crows calling to each other. He still didn't moved. She rubbed her fingers against his belly, feeling stuffing. He remained a toy, and he wasn't going to say anything.

"Schiza! Your eggs are done! It's time to eat!" It was Renee's voice, and she knew she couldn't ignore it. She was hungry, and she knew Sonic wouldn't be able to speak. She let him sit on the edge of her bed again, and then she hurriedly rushed out of the bedroom into the kitchen, seeing the other children on the table. They were eating and picking at their eggs, as Renee prepared her plate, smiling at her.

"So, I heard that Roger and Lorena were coming to adopt you today, you lucky girl! How do you feel about that?"

"They're…coming? Today?" She felt a little surge of excitement like she did in her dream, as she began to plunge her toast into her eggs.

"Yup! They said they were coming this afternoon to pick you up, and you're going to be coming to a new home! Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah! I am!" She gnawed off her toast quickly, as the excitement was also causing her to eat fast.

"Well, when you're done with your breakfast I want you to pack up everything, so you're ready when they get here. They said they're pretty excited about taking you to their new home too. And I'm excited for you too, because this means that you're going to start your new life and have a family who will actually care about you." She got closer to her, stroking her head. "This is a new beginning, Schiza. This is where you can have a restart on life, and you can see how much of an amazing and pretty girl you really are. They live in Lacosa, which is a little far away from here, but they said they wanted to put you in the best schools they can and just all around give you the care you deserve. So it's going to be a good start." She couldn't help but hug her tightly, Schiza dropping her toast by surprise.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo. Everything's going to be okay from now on."

Everything's going to be okay from now on resonated in her head repeatedly, as she watched the buttery yellows of the egg sink deeper into her toast.

Pagebreak

As Schiza went all around her room, packing up her clothes and Rosy (she wanted to hold onto Sonic while they were driving to Lacosa), Renee tended to the other children as Klay once again hid in his room. As she was talking to John, telling him interesting facts about the crows that were flying around in their backyard, her phone began to chime again, telling her that she had a call. She said "hold on a moment" to John, then answered. "Hello, this is Renee Lancaster of Welks County Foster Home, how may I help you?"

"Is my daughter here? I want to talk to my daughter."

Her voice shook a little as she replied. "Who are you talking about? How did you get this number? And who are you?"

"I'm Roseanna, Schiza's mother. May I please speak with Schiza?" Her voice began to become more demanding and emotive, as if she was about to break down and cry.

"Look, I don't know how you got this number, but you can't talk to her. I know what you did to her and I think it's absolutely inexcusable, and I'm sure this will only bring her more drama into her life," she responded, sounding angrier with each word she said.

"I'm sorry for what I did! I want to apologize to her for those things! Please, let me talk to her! I want to tell her I'm sorry!" She sounded as if she was sobbing.

"You can't talk to her. Far as I'm concerned, you can't ever talk to her. I know that you're just crying crocodile tears and you're not sorry for what you did. I know a little bit about you, Roseanna. You can be pretty manipulative and I'm not…"

"Please, these are real tears, I swear! I want to talk to her! I want to talk to my little Schiza!" Renee suddenly heard a rush of loud footsteps on the other side, then what she guessed as the hospital staff beginning to take her away from the phone, Roseanna cussing and crying loudly at them.

"You bitch! Don't take me away from Schiza! Don't you fucking take me…" She heard even louder crying and more noises, sounding like a windstorm. She could tell that Roseanna was fighting them and they were trying to subdue her, hearing many loud clangs and screams and cusswords and sobbings thrown about. It seemed like only a few seconds that the cacophony was dying down, as she assumed they were carrying her or they quieted her with a needle. She then suddenly heard a voice that was sweet and carried a Southern drawl.

"I'm sorry, ah patient is not allowed to call anyone else otha than her relatives such as her mom and dad. Ah don't know how she got this numba, but she isn't allowed ta call you. Have a nice day."

Silence. She hung up.

She closed her phone, sighing, glad that it was all over with.

"Who was that?" John asked curiously.

"Oh, just someone who isn't allowed to call here." She looked back out the window, seeing the crows jumping on the jungle gym, as if they were playing. She wished the entire phone call never happened, and she tried to forget about it by watching them.

Pagebreak

It was a late afternoon, the sun sinking lower into the clouds, what looked like a golden liquid outlining them as the sky became dark, but from what the gray clouds didn't cloak it carried a golden exuberance across it, Schiza gazing at the sky with wonder as she was lifted into by the swing. It looked so beautiful, and she tried to make her swing go higher, wanting to touch it.

She remembered she once saw a sunset like this when her parents took her all the way to California on vacation, when she was playing by the beach with only them. It was one of the happiest memories she had of her mom and dad, as she saw them huddled close to each other, enjoying the view. She liked the beach, and she was sad that she lived in a state very far away from it. She liked playing in the sand, attempting to create a sand castle that she said she was the princess of and exploring all around and seeing the kind of wildlife that it housed. She saw many crabs walk by her feet as she was playing, saying hello to them. However, she always wanted to see an estuary and watch as many starfish and other strange creatures she never saw or heard of scuttle across the sand. However, as she tried to look for one, her parents quickly got her out of the beach, in search of a restaurant to fill their empty stomachs. Schiza, however, still had full of energy, but they held her hand and carried her away.

One of the things she always wanted to see again in her life was the beach, maybe even snorkel in the ocean water and see the plethora of colors and sights that awaited her down there. She knew that wasn't in California, but she made a pact to herself that one day, she would go to the Bahamas or Australia and go snorkeling. She always wanted to see the many beauties the ocean would hide in its clear, blue dress. She once read a book that was considered to be in the 6th grade level, where the Spanish once called the sea "La Señora del Mar," which the book roughly translated it to "The Sea Mistress". She imagined the sea as a woman wearing this very long dress, which she thought could constantly change colors and had many shapes moving around on it.

As she thought about this dress, Renee broke her train of thought.

"Schiza, Roger and Lorena are here to pick you up, girl! It's time for you to go!"

She made the swinging come to a sudden halt, as she got up and sprinted across the yard, going inside the home in what Renee thought was in record time, meeting with Roger and his wife. This time, Roger looked very nice and professional as he wore a dark brown as the earth suit with a brown felt hat that matched with it, as Lorena wore a dress that looked exotic with its many colors on the black background, but she still looked quite pretty with her makeup, knowing that this was a very important day for her.

"Hello Schiza! Are you ready to come with us? The car's already running, so get your things and we're going to head out!"

Schiza packed up earlier this morning, so she knew she was prepared. She dashed to her room and picked up her small suitcase, which had her clothes and her bear Rosy. And she knew she couldn't forget Sonic, who was sitting on her dresser.

"Sonic, we're going to a new home, with a new family. I'm excited, but a little nervous too. I know I can't forget you, because even when I hold you you make me feel better." She picked him up, holding him close to her body. "Thank you for helping me go through this a little better." She held him up, then kissed him on the nose. She couldn't help but look into his eyes for a few moments until Renee shouted for her again.

"Come on, Schiza! Time's a-wastin!"

She carried him between her left arm and body as she lugged her suitcase out of her room with all the strength she had, seeing Renee and Klay ready to say goodbye to her by the door.

"Hey kiddo. I…guess this is goodbye, as you're getting adopted into a new family. I'm happy to see you get a second chance, and I'm glad you're getting adopted by a good family who really seems excited to take care of you."

Renee crouched down and gave her a very tight, but very warm hug, as Klay smiled and pat her head. "Good luck, Schiza."

As soon as she stopped embracing her, Schiza nodded her head and said her goodbyes as well, as she reached Roger and Lorena, who were both smiling at her arrival.

"Ready to go, Schiza? This is probably the last time you'll see everyone here, so you should wave a good goodbye to them when we get out this door."

Roger crouched down and held her suitcase for her, as Lorena gripped her hand tightly, leading her out of the home.

She would never see anyone in this home again, as new people entered her life. She always thought her life had people that constantly came and went, except for this family, who promised to take care of her for the rest of her life. She waved goodbye to everyone: John, Maxwell, Klay, and Renee, who gave her a jumpstart at this second chance, her no longer looking frail and dirty. She now looked like a beautiful little girl, and she had Renee to thank for that.

She turned around and looked back at this home she deemed the House of Hope, as Lorena led her into the car and shut the door for her. As soon as Roger was inside, he reversed the car out of the driveway, Schiza knowing this was the last time she would ever see this home. She even waved goodbye to it, as she was also beginning to feel quite attached to it.

She huddled Sonic close to her body as they drove away, as she looked outside the window that was streaked with raindrops.

It was once again raining, and it calmed her down.


	17. Chapter 17

It was a cold night as Roger and Lorena drove on the highway, taking Schiza to her new home. However, she began to feel a blast of warm air coming from the vents, becoming sleepy and relaxed. It was also a cloudy night, the sky looking hazy; not a star released from the fog. She could tell they were entering a big city, as the many street lights were being blurred into the car's windows; red, green, and yellow shining raindrops, looking like many colorful crystals on the car's windshield, flowing down. It was quiet, Roger and Lorena figuring that Schiza was going to nap while they were driving to Lacosa. They glanced at the mirror, seeing her nodding off while still clutching Sonic tightly in her arms.

"She's fast asleep," Roger whispered, looking at the mirror again and seeing her eyes shut, completely still and snoring a little.

"She's quite adorable, isn't she? Especially when she sleeps," she whispered back to him, turning her head around to look at her.

"Do you think she'll like being with us? Do you think she'll ever call me…" He paused.

"Ever call you what?"

"Her…dad?"

She turned her head back to the window, staring at the city lights. "In due time, m'dear. In due time."

Schiza was still asleep when they pulled into their driveway, the couple talking amongst themselves quietly as to not disturb her. As the car came to a full stop, they glanced at her again, still seeing her a little hunched near the car door, eyes shut.

"Should we wake her up and introduce her to the home? I don't exactly want to disturb her. Not just yet. She just looks so heavenly right now."

Roger paused again, thinking on this matter as he gripped the steering wheel before he spoke in a quiet, but yet serious voice. "I'll take her stuff into her room, while you carefully pick her up and take her to her bed without disturbing her. It's late; we have all day tomorrow to show her around."

She nodded, agreeing. Then they slowly opened the car doors, Lorena picking up and carrying Schiza as if she was a newborn. She was still in a deep sleep as they opened the door to the new home, Roger letting her in, Schiza cradled in her arms.

The house was wide and spacious, with mocha colored tiled floors that stretched many square feet to three separate rooms and black stairs that spiraled, Roger and his wife soon overseeing their vacant hallway.

The room they entered was a little girl's dream come true, as there seemed to be no other color but pink. Pink bed, pink drapes, pink wall, complete with a blanket that was also pink, also with a soft pink frilly material at the end of them. The wall was also decorated with many pictures of castles, some that looked like they were from a Disney movie and some realistic castles, the bottom flap of the picture saying in small print the name of the photographer and where he took the picture: Wales and Cornwall in England. The lamp, with the bottom that also looked like a Disney-esque castle, was showering the pink room with warm light.

Roger looked on as Lorena gently laid her on the bed, pulling the covers over her body. They managed to not wake her, as she only turned, but wasn't roused.

"I can already tell that she's going to be a darling. An angel, even. It saddens me that her parents didn't appreciate the gift God gave them, which was her," she commented, as she watched Schiza rustle a little in her bed.

"Such a pity. I feel like sometimes God gifts to too many people who don't even appreciate it or think nothing of it. Her parents are one of those people. They only treated her like a dog. I shouldn't even say that, some dogs are treated better than she was."

She looked back at him, then back at her again. To her, it was unthinkable to treat a child as nothing but a product. A trophy, an example, trash. She felt that children are one of the greatest gifts God could give, but what he said echoed in her mind. Too many people didn't appreciate it. Too many.

"We should let her get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day. We'll give her a tour of the home, maybe do some shopping and give her some toys…"

"Dear, don't spoil her too much, alright? While it's nice to give her gifts, I want to teach her that some things in life that you want you have to work for it. That's a very good value we should teach her."

As they walked out of the room he could only grin back at her. "It is a good value. But it's hard not to, you know?"

They closed the door softly, Schiza left alone to sleep.

When she opened one of her eyes, it was blurry as it was moist with sleep, but she knew she was in a completely pink room, which she also acknowledged that it was her room. She turned as she stroked her eyes a little, seeing Sonic standing near her bed.

"Sonic…are we here? Is this...my new home?"

Sonic shushed her, as he began to pull the covers over her again, tucking her in tightly. "Yes, we're here, princess. We're here in your new home. It would be good for you to rest though; they said tomorrow was going to be a big day."

She yawned slowly and loudly, sinking deeper into her blankets. "Okay, Sonic…"

He yanked the small chain on the lamp, the room becoming instantly dark, the bold pink no longer showing. "Goodnight, my princess."

She could still see Sonic's quills shining a cobalt lining as the moon made them shimmer, as he leaned and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

She was lulled to sleep by Sonic's sudden affection.

"Schiza honey, it's time to get up! Breakfast is ready!"

She was awakened by Lorena's gentle rocking, immediately hearing her voice. "What's for breakfast?" she mumbled as she rose.

"Blueberry pancakes with sausage. I just got done making them, sweetie, you don't want them to get cold."

She rushed; quickly putting on clothes that were now in her new dresser and brushing and tying her hair. When she ran out the door, she suddenly stopped, confused about her new surroundings.

She knew she was upstairs as she could see the bottom of the first floor from the post. However, as she peered below, she could tell that this was a large house; a mansion, in fact, as there were many rooms on the second floor and a very large hallway at the first floor, and she wasn't sure which room led to the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I forgot that you were new to this house. Let me help you to the kitchen and then we'll show you around," she said, taking Schiza's hand and leading her down the staircase, which sounded metallic as she went down each step. She took her to the room in the east, which she could now plainly see it was the kitchen. She gazed at the metallic countertops and stoves, with the pots and pans dangling above their heads. To her surprise the table wasn't very large (she assumed that they rarely had guests over) but it was pristine, made of a gleaming marble that was mixed with grays, blacks, and whites. The plates seemed luxurious too, as they were square-shaped and heavy. She has never heard of square plates, and this was a first. On her plate were three pancakes, dotted with real blueberries and hot syrup and butter melting and cascading over them, the mixture dripping into a sticky, brown puddle that also enveloped her sausage links. She didn't mind, however, as her breakfast looked delicious and once Lorena cut them into many pieces for her she immediately began to devour them.

"You really like my pancakes, don't you, Schiza?" she asked, as she wiped her face with a tablecloth, some syrup smeared on it. She nodded gratefully and promptly, Lorena smiling in return.

Roger was at the end of the table, already finished with his meal, silent as he read the newspaper. He was in the middle of reading an article on the Minnesota governor and his plea to open a new library in a far away county when he calmly folded it away and began to talk to her.

"Schiza, we actually have plans for you today. We're thinking we could show you around the house, make you get comfortable, and then we're going to do some shopping later this afternoon. Sound like a good plan?"

She covered her face with the tablecloth, scrubbing it with both of her hands before she could nod again.

"Good. And I see you're already done with your pancakes. Lorena can make some good blueberry pancakes, huh?"

She nodded again, agreeing. "I think they're the best pancakes I ever had. Renee would try to make them in the foster home, but she sometimes burnt them."

"Thank you, m'dear. I burnt them a lot too but I just kept getting better at it with each time. Now, how about I show you to the rest of the home? It's actually quite a large house, so I would be showing you around for a while."

She slowly stepped off her chair carefully, before pushing it back into the table.

"You already have some good manners and you're 7? I'm surprised, though when you were eating your pancakes that could've used some work…"

Schiza was right: the house was a mansion. Lorena and Roger were actually quite wealthy. The first room she showed her was the bathroom, dappled with elegant chocolate brown tiles that were smooth and so shiny that you could see your reflection in. There were also two sinks' that had nozzles that were long and thin, craned like a swan's neck, made with a glorious silver, outside of the rim was a sleek marbled sandy brown and white, and when Lorena showed her how the shower worked the water actually streamed down from the ceiling. She was too used to a regular white bathroom with torn walls, a dirty linoleum floor and only lukewarm water being sprayed out of the nozzle.

She showed her many rooms, including Roger and Lorena's room, which she thought looked inviting and peaceful. A dark red carpet, symbolizing that they were the king and queen of this house, with the bed with antique graceful wood engravings, her attention focused on the wooden sun that seemed to spread light all over the covers and blankets. There were wardrobes that loomed over her, looking wavy as if she was looking at it from a funhouse mirror. The biggest appeal to her was the large mirror that spanned across the room, complete with many makeup kits and lights that boldly flashed on her when Lorena turned them on.

Schiza stared onward at the mirror, tempted to put on at least a little lipstick but resisted as she turned to Lorena, and asked her a question. "Lorena, what do you do that makes you live in a house like this?"

"Oh, I know you're probably wondering since you're in a home like this…I'm actually quite a successful fashion designer. I worked a lot at my job, but I decided to take less hours ever since Roger and I discussed having a child here…"

"And what does Roger do?"

"He writes articles for a newspaper here. He also published a book before."

"What's his book called?"

She bit her lip, chewing on it a little before she answered. "It's…it's actually called The Jester of the Night."

"What's it about?"

"Well, about his life and…well, there's still more rooms I need to show you Schiza. Let me show you out to the garden."

She wasn't sure why Lorena avoided her last question, but she was excited to hear that she had a garden out back. She wondered if it would be a magnificent one, with flowers that were as big as her and were in a wide spectrum of colors. She saw how wealthy people tended to have such large gardens in the back of their homes that she expected the same with her new parents.

She took her out back in yet another large hallway, opening a large glass door that had eloquent shapes imprinted on it, seeing that she was already disappointed. She already caught a hint of yellow, stringy dead grass.

There was a large pathway through the garden, marked by white bricked sandstone, but most of the garden only had bushes and dying plants that were starting to sink their heads lower into the ground. The only flower head she could see that was still intact was a single white rose flower, which had its head up high as if it was hopeful, knowing it was going to survive this death pit.

"Unfortunately Schiza, we barely had time to take care of our plants and our garden is such a mess right now; it's definitely a shame. We don't have house workers or that sort of thing in this home, so we're left with all of these chores and…gardening is definitely not my specialty. One flower I'm proud of is that white rose right there in the corner. It was the only one that survived. They're my favorite flowers, so it was definitely a surprise when that made it through my terrible watering and all."

She felt nothing but sadness when she glanced at the garden. She saw it as a dismal place, not a land full of beauty and wonder that she always saw in movies and books. The white rose was just a glimmer of hope; a testament to what the garden could've been, but it wasn't enough for her to keep her mind off of how depressing it all was.

"Now Schiza, I would like to show you more, but I have to get to work in a half hour. Roger will be here, but he's going to let you explore around the home and try to get comfortable. If you need anything, he'll be in his office. Do you think you'll be fine with that?"

She couldn't take her eyes off of the rose. "Yeah, I think I'll be okay."

"If you want, you can play out in the garden. We'll get you some toys and other things in the evening, so don't worry too much about not having much to play with. I'll be back here very shortly, sweetheart." She hugged her tightly, Schiza smelling her lavender perfume and her strong shampoo when she was wrapped in her arms. Lorena also gave her a kiss on the forehead and a pat on the head. "I don't think I have to worry about you misbehaving in the home. No matter what anyone says, you're a good, smart girl."

Schiza stayed in the garden as she closed the door, already missing the smell of her perfume. However, she found herself too upset with the garden. She never minded her sudden disappearance as she scrutinized the rose.

She noticed that the dirt around it seemed too dry, the flower probably thirsty for moisture. She looked around for anything that could water it, hoping she could find a hose or a watering can.

Near the door was a large, green watering can, already filled up to the brim with water. Lorena was probably here earlier, about to water all the plants, but she soon forgot.

She picked it up with both hands, her strength barely lifting it off the ground. It was a very large watering can and she could barely heave it. She persisted, taking a few steps and lifting it and then setting it down, then taking a few more steps and lifting it again. She soon reached the flower, using everything she could to lift it again and pour some water into the dirt, using another hand to balance the water flow.

She immediately felt like she was going to drop it and drown the flower. The watering can was too heavy for her one hand to handle, and she felt it falling into the ground, until she felt it become lighter, as she saw two gloved hands holding it up.

"Need some help?" She was very surprised to see Sonic here, able to avoid Roger and Lorena and finding his way to the garden. She guessed he somehow had a radar inside him that was able to track her down.

As they both carefully watered the plant, Sonic telling her when the flower had enough, he still saw Schiza frowning as she gazed at the rest of the plants. "What's wrong, Schiza?"

"It's this garden, Sonic. I always saw people like my new parents having these really big gardens, but Lorena's is very…dead. I don't like it."

"Yeah, the only thing I see is this flower. Everything else doesn't look too good in here. But I think I can fix that."

"How are you going to fix it, Sonic? Most of her flowers are dead and I feel like there's nothing we can do…"

He glanced at the rose for a few moments, and then he began to cup his hands around the head, having it face him.

"What are you doing, Sonic?"

He continued to stare at the flower as he held it, as if he was unsure of what to do. Then, as if it all came to him, he began to lean closer to it, his nose touching the flower's yellow tongue as he kissed it.

She was going to ask why on earth he kissed the flower. It looked silly as he continued to look at the flower, holding the head tenderly in his hands. Then, slowly but surely, she began to question more about Sonic's origin.

The flower began to move, the stem becoming longer and the head growing at an extremely quick rate. His hands were no longer surrounding the flower as it suddenly became larger than him, the petals opening and the flower seeming to swallow him whole, but only moved an inch to kiss him back, as if to say, "thank you".

She stood there, breathless, as Sonic began to kiss each of these flowers, one by one, no longer dry, shriveled, and slanted. They were becoming alive, their colors being revived. She saw that there were blue flowers as blue as Sonic, violet flowers that looked almost black, tulips and roses quickly surrounding the garden and making it become more lively and beautiful.

She didn't move at all from her spot when the garden became a jungle, still unbelieving. As Sonic kissed the last butterscotch that was also dry and dead, a flush of buttery yellow returning, he approached Schiza as the grass began to encircle around his feet, him bowing and taking her hand and kissing it. "Shall we frolic around this great garden, my princess?" he asked.

She smiled at Sonic's gesture, and wondering if his kiss revitalized her happiness. "Yes we shall, sir Sonic," she returned.

He gripped her hand tightly, then began to walk her through the forest of flowers, Schiza marveling at this wondrous site as they began to disappear into the garden's path.

"Schiza! Schiza!" Roger was calling her name as he stepped out of the door, and into the garden, which for all he knew was the most dreadful place in the home. But he instantly knew how strange it was to step on lush grass under his feet, as he remembered barely any grass grew around here.

When he looked, he saw the large white rose that was larger than his entire body, and the entire array of flowers that swayed from the sky's gentle breath, his eyes meeting a whole spectrum of colors before him.

"I…must be….going crazy…"

He fell to the ground, fainting.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Velveteen Rabbit is not made by me. It was written by Margery Williams and I'm only putting some of her writing here so readers can learn about the book somewhat, and I'll admit, because I don't want to describe everything that's happening in the book and just show it with what she's written in the book.

They played all through the garden, through the many magnificent flowers that bloomed and seemed to say "hello" to Schiza. Even the earth had many daisies and dandelions that grew underneath them, Schiza plucking a few and making a crown with them. Sonic was sitting by her, listening to her talk.

"Sonic, how did you get all those flowers to grow? Do you have some special powers or something?" She picked a daisy, taking the stem apart and putting the head in the crown.

"I don't know, Schiza. For some reason, when I stared at that rose, something…told me that I could make it grow bigger by kissing it. Some voice in my head. I hope I'm not crazy, but the voice was right. I was surprised by what happened."

"A voice in your head? Did it sound like…God?"

"No one really knows what God sounds like, Schiza. For all we know, he could have a squeaky voice. I don't know, the voice didn't sound like what we think he sounds like. It was a whisper, and the voice sounded like a woman's."

"Do you think God could be a girl? Because…I'm starting to believe more and more that you're an angel."

He looked at her as she grabbed another daisy, surprised. "God could be a girl, yeah. Who else has the power to give birth to this world? A woman. And a woman usually can't help but feel love for her kids. As for being an angel...I'm not sure. I don't have wings."

"I don't think you need wings to be an angel, Sonic. An angel is usually someone who watches over and helps someone. And you help me a lot." She finished her crown of flowers. It had a pattern of a butterscotch, a daisy, a dandelion, and then another daisy, and so forth, a pattern of yellow and white. She smiled as she put the crown on Sonic's head, him looking back at her.

"An angel doesn't have to have wings and be perfect, Sonic. They can be like you, even though you're a toy."

He smiled back, rearranging the flowers on his head. "Thanks. And I think you're a princess."

They sat back and watched the sky for a while, seeing the many shapes that the clouds were turning into. They commented on what the clouds looked like, Sonic saying some looked like a rabbit, Schiza saying they looked like eyes. "God is watching us with those eyes," she commented.

However, the moment only lasted a few minutes, as she saw Sonic back into a toy, the crown falling from his head, as Schiza heard her name being called.

"Schiza, there you are! I was telling Lorena about this…miracle. When I last came here, this garden was nothing but a barren wasteland, and now it's…a jungle. I have absolutely no idea on how this happened." He never minded the garden for a moment, analyzing what she was doing. "Playing with Sonic, I suppose?"

She didn't want him to tell her that he wasn't real, so she only nodded.

"Well, I want you inside the house so I can watch you until Lorena gets back. I don't want you to get lost in here."

He gently lifted Schiza by her hand as she picked up Sonic, Roger leading the both of them back inside the house.

The flower garland sat on the ground, alone, until the wind picked it up as well. It drifted into the sky, the many flowers becoming untied and flying into the breeze, a whirlwind of butterscotches and daisies.

A few hours passed, Schiza sitting in the office with Roger, bored. He was on a chair, typing for an article in the newspaper while she fiddled around with several objects that were around the room. Roger sometimes told her to not touch this or that, but he let her read some of the books that was on his bookshelf, Schiza trying to understand them. They were usually books on writing or a portfolio of the many articles Roger wrote in the past, Schiza not being able to fully comprehend them as he usually talked about politics.

She thumbed through many books and many folders containing his work, trying to find something that interested her as she carried Sonic with one arm across his body. There were also some classic works which she guessed were Roger's favorite books, Of Mice and Men, Ulysses, and As I Lay Dying. At the very end she found a book that had a smooth, black cover, which had a picture of a bottle of beer being opened the liquid, which was a gold that shone into a crimson, chaotic mess of lines that formed a laughing, sinister mask that grinned mockingly at her. She read the cover.

The Jester of the Night

Roger Valeheart, with a foreword by Gary Olsen, author of The Beast That Lived with Me

She wasn't sure who Gary Olsen was. Maybe he was a good friend of Roger's who agreed to write a little in his book. Curious, she opened up a random page, and read the best she could.

Every time my father drank, he seemed to reek of decay, the alcohol making him look like he just dug himself out of the grave like a zombie. Eyes swollen and glossy, face flushed, his clothes sometimes dirty with God knows what. Sometimes we can tell he threw up on himself.

He always carried a beer with him, everywhere he went. We would jump out of our seats every time we heard him opening a beer can. Pop.

He always went out when my mother was around. "Didn't want to deal with her," he would say. My mother tried to give him space, but she later found out he was usually at a party or the bar, drinking so many beers that he would pass out on the cold, barroom floor.

My dad was definitely an alcoholic, there was no denying that. I knew it since I was 8 years old, when my mother began to explain her suspicions. Even when I was younger than that I knew my father wasn't right. We were never really that close. He rarely ever said he loved me and he seemed to always criticize me whenever I played soccer after school and he would watch my performance by the chain-link gates, disgusted. He would talk about how when he was at school, he worked harder and had better grades than me. And he wasn't afraid to say that I embarrassed him.

As I finally told my mom how I never felt loved by my father when I was 9, and her suspicions correct, she finally had enough and divorced him.

However, even though I was away from him, he still lingered in my mind, his words and criticisms painting a disturbing image. I wasn't okay with myself, I found myself thinking I was awkward and pathetic. Whatever I did, whether it was schoolwork or a piece of writing I did, I was never satisfied with the results. "You don't try hard enough," I would hear my dad's voice echo.

Shortly after my graduation in middle school, I became an alcoholic, just like my father…

He turned around in his seat, seeing Schiza absorbed in his book.

"Schiza, what are you doing? I don't want you reading that book!" he yelled, but tried to keep his volume down as to not try to scare her out of her wits.

Despite his yelling, Schiza was calm as she asked, "Why?"

"Because…I don't want you to know about all that. That's something I don't want to tell you just yet, as you're just a child and shouldn't be bothered by such things."

He slowly reached over and took the book from Schiza's hands, putting it on his desk. "Maybe one day you can read that book, but that contains too many dark subjects for you to handle. You've dealt with too much."

She took a seat on an old white wicker chair, watching Roger as he tapped the keys on his keyboard rapidly, typing what appeared to be his opinions on both the Democratic and Republican party, whatever those words meant to Schiza's mind. She held Sonic close to her chest, hugging him as she left him alone for a while, rat-at-tat-tapping on his keyboard.

Then, she knew it wasn't right for her to do so, but she wanted to say something about what she read in his book.

"I think my dad drank too. I never saw him with a beer, but he went to bars a lot. I wouldn't see him until in the early morning."

He was silent, stopping his tapping. Schiza looked on as he sat still on his chair, not turning to face her and was taciturn, until he said, "I guess we can both relate to something, Schiza. Both of our fathers were disgusting men, weren't they?"

She gazed at Sonic for a while, before nodding. "I think I'm going to hate my dad for the rest of my life."

He was solemn again, then he spoke up once more. "I don't blame you. Although I hated my father for what he did, I ended up forgiving him when he died. Your father, however, should never be forgiven. He can rot in jail, and then he can rot in Hell."

Both of them were silent the rest of that morning, Roger typing his article and Schiza sitting on the chair and petting Sonic.

Lorena arrived back that afternoon, a little exhausted by her job, but she was excited to spend the evening with Schiza, shopping for a few things she wanted. "Where do you want to go, Schiza? There's a toy store up north of here, there's another down south…"

"Actually…" she spoke softly. "Maybe we can go to a book store. I like books."

"Why yes, we can go there, my little Schiza. There's one not too far from here, about 10 minutes away. Such a smart girl, wanting to read!" She patted her again, as they traveled out the door and into the car.

It was exactly ten minutes when they arrived at a small bookstore, called The Papyrus. She thought it was a weird name for a store, but when she entered inside, seeing the calm atmosphere and the large children's section, complete with many colorful bean bag chairs and lamps, she was delighted. She could smell coffee and tea being made inside the store as she searched for a book, reading the front and back covers of anything that seemed to interest her. She leafed through a book about a fox when another book suddenly fell onto the floor, making a "plop" sound as she stopped inspecting the fox book and inspected this one.

It was The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.

The illustrations in the book interested her, the back cover explaining the story fascinating as well. She read that it was about a stuffed toy rabbit, wishing that he could become real.

This story is perfect for Sonic! I need to show him this when we get back home! she exclaimed in her mind, excited that she found a story that seemed all too familiar with her best friend.

"Lorena, Roger, I want this book!" She couldn't help but yell for them, not being able to contain her excitement. She showed them the pictures and the cover, Lorena smiling at her sudden animated energy.

"Ah yes, The Velveteen Rabbit. I remember reading that when I was a child. A good book, and I know you can relate to it with all your stuffed animals. What do you think, Roger?" she asked while pointing to the story.

He nodded. "I agree. Is this all you want, Schiza? Are you sure you don't want any other books?"

She quickly wanted to go home and show Sonic the book, but she picked out a few more, mostly fairy tales for Sonic to also read to her when she had yet another sleepless night. She also had a book about hedgehogs, interested in learning what they were really like.

As she gave them the books to carry and they paid the cashier and headed out to the car, she already began to read one of the books while they were driving back.

"Are you sure you don't want any toys, Schiza? Not a new stuffed animal or any other thing?"

She was still interested in her hedgehog book, learning that there were many different types of hedgehogs, living in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. "No, not today."

"Roger, I don't want to get her too many things. Don't want her spoiled, you know?"

He grinned back at her. "Schiza's a good girl. She knows when she has enough things. If she doesn't want any toys I won't force her to go down to the toy store. Her birthday is coming up though, isn't that right, young lady?" He looked back at her, still with that grin on his face.

"Yup, but I don't know what I want…"

"Don't worry too much about it, Schiza. I'll let you pick out something, how does that sound?"

It was getting dark, the sun becoming a glinting ruby that was sinking lower into the earth, taking the clouds away from the sky and the stars rising, beginning to glow.

"It is getting late though, dear. It won't be long till Schiza needs to go to bed."

"Don't worry, we're almost there. And I'm sure she'll go to bed when I tell her to."

They shortly arrived at the home, the skies becoming more of a royal blue each minute. They had a nice dinner while they discussed about their future plans for Schiza. While they were about to talk about what kind of school they were going to send her, the sky was now black, the stars and lights making a warm, heavenly cast of dark pink at the bottom, as if the sun was about to rise. It was yet another one of those things that calmed her, making her a little sleepy, glad that Roger told her it was about time for bed.

She knew she would stay up for a while, however, as she quickly snatched The Velveteen Rabbit and scampered up the stairs.

"It's the first day and already I'm enjoying spending time with Schiza. She's such a smart, good little girl. I'm sure she'll excel at this private school we're going to send her," Lorena commented, putting away the dishes.

"I…don't know if that's going to be a wise choice."

"Why not, dear? You know how smart she is, and you know we want to send her to the best schools out there! Why shouldn't we send her to Primrose? It's a very prestigious school!"

He looked down, staring at his coffee, then closing his eyes briefly as he replied. "Schiza's too used to a public school and I don't want her to be sent somewhere where she'll be uncomfortable. We should think before we go off and send her to a school like that."

"You know how I feel about public schools. What if…you know, she gets a teacher who doesn't know what she's talking about? Reads a textbook that gives out the wrong information? The other kids teasing her? I don't want any of that happening to her!"

"I know, Lorena. But I also know that she won't be comfortable there. I say we wait before we send her off to a place like that. Or better yet, ask what she wants to do. Explain to her what kind of place she'll be sent to and see if she's okay with it." He took a sip of his coffee. "If she wants to be sent to Primrose, then so be it, I'll let her. But if she wants to stay in the public school system, you'll need to let her and respect her decision. I say it's about time Schiza decides what she wants to do."

She listened to his words carefully, absorbing them and finding herself agreeing with him. "You're right, Roger. After all, in the end, we want to see Schiza happy, and if she's happy with her decision then I'll have no complaints about that. So, are you going to write more of your article?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I have to send it out by tomorrow and I have to get it done or else I'll have the publishers enraged." He slid out of his seat, about to walk out of the kitchen until Lorena interrupted him. "Roger?"

"Yes?"

"I saw your book by your desk. You usually keep it hidden in your bookshelves, because you just don't want to deal with it again. What made you get it out again?"

He looked at her, sullenly, his eyes staring deep into her. "Schiza was in my office and she read a few exercepts of it while I was writing my article."

"Dear, you can't let her read that! What did she found out?"

"She knew my dad usually tried to drink himself to death. She said her father probably did the same thing, and that she would never forgive him, which I understand completely."

She casted her gaze on the floor, trying to get her mind thinking on something else that didn't upset her, like on how the floors needed to be swept before looking back up at him. "I'm…very sorry for what happened to you, Roger. I always was. I wished…"

"You don't need to be sorry. There was nothing you could do about it, Lorena. And there was nothing we could do about Schiza because we didn't know her back then and we didn't even see what her family was doing to her. But if I ever saw her father, I would beat him with an inch of his life."

He left the room, completely disappearing from Lorena's sight as he went up the stairs, into his office.

She tried to forget all about it as she turned on the sink, making it sudsy as she prepared to wash the dishes.

She arrived in her pink room, still clutching the book tightly as she saw Sonic sitting on her bed, looking up at her. "Hey Schiza. Was the shopping fun?"

"Yeah, I had a good time, Sonic." She sat on the bed and inched closer to Sonic, showing him the book. "It's my bedtime Sonic, and I thought you could read me something. I picked it out for you."

"The Velveteen Rabbit, huh? What is it about?"

"You'll see when you read it, Sonic. I think you'll be surprised."

He looked back at her as she began to cover herself up with blankets, prepared for him to tell the story.

"Alright, I guess I'll just be surprised when I read it then." He opened the book to the first page of the story.

"There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen…"

He read about how the rabbit was given to a little boy on a Christmas morning, but because of all the new presents the boy was given, the rabbit was forgotten and placed in a cupboard in a nursery and the other toys made fun of him for not being made with modern materials. However, despite all the teasing from the other toys, the rabbit gained a friend named the Skin Horse, who was worn out and not very appealing at all, completely bald and most of his threads torn off, but he was wise and knew what being real was.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Sonic stopped, gazing up from the book. "Schiza, is that really what happens when you become real? What is it like?"

"Well…" she began. "I know being real means you'll feel pain. But…you feel a lot of good feelings too. Like being hugged, being warm, and I like to feel the wind when it's cold. "

"I already feel that though, don't I? I feel warm when I hug you and I can feel the wind too. If I'm real to you, then why am I not real to anyone else? That's the thing I don't understand. I don't understand why I'm a toy to everyone else in your life."

"I don't know either, Sonic," she spoke quietly. "I'm sure if you were really an angel, other people would see you. Right?"

He looked at her for a while, unsure, and then he continued reading.

He then read on how the boy lost his other toy, and "Nana" made him sleep with the rabbit, not wanting to go about searching for it. The rabbit didn't liked sleeping with the boy at first, but he began to feel loved, for the boy huddled him close to him every night and played many games with him. It was until the rabbit began to have dirty fur, becoming more tattered as the boy played with him in the garden that he found something in the story that touched him.

You must have your old Bunny!" she said. "Fancy all that fuss for a toy!"

The Boy sat up in bed and stretched out his hands.

"Give me my Bunny!" he said. "You mustn't say that. He isn't a toy. He's REAL!"

"Schiza, remember when Renee said I wasn't real and that you had a big imagination, and you argued with her that I was? This…reminds me of that," he said, as he felt the page with his finger.

"I didn't like it when she wouldn't let me play with you because she said you weren't real, Sonic. It made me sad and mad. I always have fun with you when we play."

"It's true you should've played with the other children but…I didn't like it when she said you shouldn't play with me anymore either. She doesn't understand and if you explained it to her, she would think you're crazy."

He once more told the story, now reading where two real rabbits went up to the velveteen rabbit and teased him for not being able to jump and do the same things that real rabbits could do. The rabbit became more worn out, his coat no longer shiny and his ears no longer pink, but the boy still loved him despite his appearance, treating him like a real rabbit and cuddling him close to him when he slept and whispering secrets to his gray ears.

"Do you think you'll still…like me, even though I'll be all worn out, Schiza?"

She faced him, staring at his jade eyes. "Sonic, no matter what, I'll still like you, even if you're no longer shiny and soft. You got dirty when I used to take you everywhere with me, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't care. I liked being to all those places with you. I like it when you carry me around. I don't feel lonely, just sitting up here by myself."

He resumed, now reading on how the boy became sick with scarlet fever, but the rabbit was patient and began to love the boy from the bottom of his sawdust-filled heart, waiting for the inevitable day the boy began to feel better, wanting to go to the beach with him and play more games with him. However, when the boy did recover, Nana and the doctor said they had to burn his old toys, as they were infected with the fever germs. He was put into the shed out the garden, the gardener promising to burn them.

Sonic pitied this rabbit, as he was taken away from the boy he loved and was now thought of as nothing but trash, being burnt away to cinders, never knowing what it truly felt to be real.

He couldn't help but read on, as the rabbit began to cry, and from his tear that fell on the floor, a flower grew and blossomed, revealing a fairy who said she was going to turn him into a real rabbit.

She was quite the loveliest fairy in the whole world. Her dress was of pearl and dew-drops, and there were flowers round her neck and in her hair, and her face was like the most perfect flower of all. And she came close to the little Rabbit and gathered him up in her arms and kissed him on his velveteen nose that was all damp from crying.

"Little Rabbit," she said, "don't you know who I am?"

The Rabbit looked up at her, and it seemed to him that he had seen her face before, but he couldn't think where.

"I am the nursery magic Fairy," she said. "I take care of all the playthings that the children have loved. When they are old and worn out and the children don't need them any more, then I come and take them away with me and turn them into Real."

"Wasn't I Real before?" asked the little Rabbit.

"You were Real to the Boy," the Fairy said, "because he loved you. Now you shall be Real to every one."

As the fairy used her magic to turn the velveteen rabbit into a real rabbit, him growing real fur and able to sprint and jump, Schiza saw Sonic shaking a little as he read the story. He was beginning to become choked up, his words not coming out clearly, Schiza being able to see something glistening in his eyes.

"But he…never knew that it was really his own bunny, coming back to look at the child who had first helped him to become…real." He closed the book, as he decided to no longer look at Schiza, Sonic trying to hide his face.

"Sonic…are you…crying? What's wrong?"

He still wouldn't look at her as Schiza got closer to him, wanting to see his face. "Schiza, do you…promise to love me, love me so much that one day I become…real? Please tell me…"

"Sonic, I really do promise that I love you. I don't mind if you become worn or even if you're a monster. I really do think you're an angel sent to look after me, and I love you." She leaned closer to him, then quickly gave him a kiss on the nose, Sonic looking at her, taken aback, with a few tears in his eye.

He felt a lot of love with that kiss, making it harder for him to speak. "I…love you too, Schiza. I will love you...forever and always…too."

He closed his eyes as he began to tuck Schiza in, giving her a kiss on the forehead, then shutting off the lights. Schiza saw some blue shining streaks in the darkness as he went into her closet, and sobbed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Includes some views of the Bible. Please notice that it's only a theory, and this is only a fanfic and only this character is saying that theory.

She managed to sleep well that night, despite Sonic's sudden emotional state. As she hazily stretched her body, her eyes being released from the clutches of sleep, Sonic was there. He was a toy yet again, slumped and staring vacantly into space.

As she rose and reached for Sonic, she felt something strange when she clasped him around her arms. The fabric around his eyes felt wet, as if it was doused with a few drops of water. She could tell that before he transformed into a toy, he spent most of the night crying from his sudden emotions.

She didn't mean to make Sonic cry, and although she knew it was only because the story touched him, she felt a little guilty. Sonic always seemed to be happy around her, and once again, she brought him down on his knees and broke him. It was as if Sonic was porcelain china, and one wrong move made him shatter all over the floor. He tried to compose himself before her, but she could tell that he felt so much for her in her struggles and wanted so much to be real that he couldn't resist breaking down whenever she was upset or when he realized that he could only do so much.

He wished when he was a toy, his heart was beating. So whenever Schiza held Sonic, she could feel his heart near hers. They both felt connected, but yet whenever something happened that was little under his control, they broke apart, then slowly regained back the pieces, only to be connected and broken again, and again, and again.

She heard Roger's voice from downstairs. "Schiza, are you up and ready? We wanted to discuss something with you, if you please!"

She once again quickly changed from her old clothes to her new, tidying her hair as best as she could and brushed before she rushed down the stairs, meeting Roger and Lorena's gaze as she approached them.

"Good morning, darling! We wanted to talk to you about something. We know you might be a little bored with everything ever since…this situation arrived, but we wanted to discuss how you felt about school. If you want, we can discuss this matter in the kitchen."

She nodded, as they walked away from the staircase into the kitchen, nearly spotless from Lorena's cleaning session last night. They sat on the chairs near the marble table, as Lorena prepared herself.

"Well, Schiza darling, we know you went through life feeling like you were out of control with everything. But we want you to make your own decisions when it came to schooling. Of course, you know education is very important, right dear?"

She nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"You don't need to call me 'ma'am', Schiza. Although I'm your foster mother, I don't want you to feel like you're talking to a teacher or some other authority figure like that. It's good you know how important education is, which is why we wanted you to decide which kind of school you wanted to go to. We found Folwell, which is a school similar to the one you used to be in before you got adopted, and there's Primrose, which is a private school. Do you know what a private school is?"

She heard of the phrase before, but wasn't sure what it exactly meant. "Is it like homeschooling?"

"No, m'dear, a private school is where you'll be in a classroom with less students, you'll have better access to education, and…well, I'm not exactly sure where you stand in this issue but…" She paused.

"Yes? What is it, ma'am…I mean, Lorena?" she quickly corrected herself.

"…Well, we want to know…were you ever raised as a Christian child? Has your family ever taken you to church?"

Whenever she heard anything related to Christianity or God, she became uncomfortable. She began to fiddle with her fingers. "Yes, but…"

"What is it, Schiza dear? You can talk to us about it. We're not going to judge you."

She stopped her fingers, lying completely flat on the table as she spoke up. "…I-I felt like that...that my parents didn't really believe in him because they broke a lot of the rules in the Bible. And I did too. I don't think God likes me."

"Well, dear…" She stopped momentarily. "You're a child. Children make mistakes because they don't know, and they soon learn from their mistakes once they make them. And I don't think those things happened because…"

"I broke a commandment!" she suddenly yelled as loud as her voice could muster. "'Honor thy mother and father!' I broke it, and God's not happy with me! I didn't love my family enough when I was little! That's why God punished me!"

They sat in silence. Schiza felt like crying, but she kept trying to hold it in, afraid that Sonic would suddenly notice the sound of her tears inching across from her face somehow. Roger and Lorena could only look at her with great pity, thinking that a child should never feel like God was against them.

"Schiza, none of that is your fault. God wouldn't punish you for not honoring your family, even after what they did to you…"

"No!" Her eyes felt wet as if a dam was about to be broken, but she couldn't let herself cry. I don't want to break Sonic again, she kept thinking as she shouted once again, "God doesn't love me! He's not a loving being! When I read the Old Testament, he wanted people to know him so he punished and hurt people! And God wants me to know that I broke his rules, so he made me hurt so much! He's not nice!"

Roger knew that he had to try to calm down Schiza and explain to her a few things, as he tried to stay serene and cleared his throat. "Schiza, I'm not sure if I can explain the Bible to you without boring you with a lot of details, but even though I have faith in God, I believe that the Bible was written as a guide for all of us, but not everything in it is necessarily true."

"What do you mean, Roger? I thought you believed in all of those stories? You told me before…"

"That was a long time ago, Lorena. I didn't have too many theories on it before, because my mind was still recovering from what was going on in my life. But although some of the things in the Bible are true, like Jesus was a real man, I feel like either some of those stories were exaggerated or they were created to teach a lesson. God fiction. And not everything in the Bible should be taken too literally, because they wanted society to become…well, civilized and much like this, not chaotic and letting everyone do whatever they wanted.

"While the commandments are indeed very important rules to uphold, such as 'thou shall not kill', there's exceptions. I believe that it's okay to kill someone if it's in self-defense, or when you assist someone in a suicide, but only if they're in a very drastic situation, such as being in a vegetative state. As for the issue with your parents, Schiza, yes, people should respect their parents, but not when they were so…vile and horrendous to you. Parents are supposed to be loving and caring for their child, not doing the things they did to you and causing you to be with us. There's nearly an exception to every commandment in the Bible, and that isn't necessarily bad. It just means that the people who wrote the Bible needed to explain things further. And Schiza, you've done absolutely nothing wrong. Your parents are actually the ones to be blamed, and I feel like they did this to you. Making you feel like everything is your fault when clearly it's not. However Schiza, whether you believe in God or don't believe in God, we love you, and we'll respect your decision on whether you want to go to Primrose or Folwell. It's your choice."

She was quiet, as Roger said nearly too much for all of her head to take in. She could understand what he meant, that at the end, she wasn't at fault for the abuse her parents made her go through. She understood a little, that although her parents used to be loving but now callous and evil, she didn't do anything that would cause them to transform into the hideous beasts they were today. Something happened to her parents that made them break, but the broken pieces couldn't be found, and they were beyond repair for all those years.

"Well…" she began after being in thought after Roger's speech. "I…don't really believe in God…all that much. I want to make a lot of friends, so I want to go to Folwell, if that's okay."

Roger smiled. "Of course it's okay, Schiza. If that's your decision, then we'll grant you your wish. Folwell is a nice school and I'm sure you can make plenty of friends there." He rose from his seat, glancing at Lorena. "We'll call the Folwell building tomorrow and let them know. It probably won't be long before you can go to school again, Schiza. Now, let's make you breakfast. Unfortunately we're out of pancake mix, but Lorena can make a good batch of eggs too. How does that sound?"

The expectation of school and Lorena's cooking made her smile as well. "That sounds good, Roger sir…I mean, Roger."

Lorena was disappointed that Schiza didn't want to go to Primrose, and the fact that she didn't believe in God, but she wanted to obey Roger's wish. It's about time for Schiza to decide what she wants to do. We must respect her decision. And she loved her, as much as she loved her firstborn child.

Schiza was happy as she ate her eggs and toast, and the eggs were the best she ever tasted.

The room she was in was covered with a wooden floor that stretched on for what seemed to be miles, as she was surrounded by the moonlight and many strange antique and old, dusty objects, gathered with many boxes. She was in the attic of the mansion, which also had a window larger than herself, despite only being an attic.

As she was surrounded by these things, and a sudden rush of music in her head, as she recognized was coming from a dusty CD player, she suddenly saw herself wearing a white, elegant dress. It was reflecting off in the moonlight as the silk was shining, the gold in her dress gleaming and showing she was now inside what looked like a ballroom, with royal red carpet, many large windows that was casting off the night sky with stars. She looked up at the ceiling, gazing at the big chandelier dangling very far above her head, the crystal glowing a spectrum of colors as the moonlight shone on it, a sheen of red and blue light sparking from it. There was also what seemed to be a painting on the ceiling, a young girl that she thought looked much prettier than her was surrounded by many birds. Blue jays, peacocks, doves, and finches were surrounding her, and one was putting a glorious crown on her head, a silver crown emblazoned with rubies, sapphires, and topazes. A white bird, similar to a dove, but it looked all too familiar to her. It had red eyes that didn't looked threatening, but in fact, was a little soothing to her.

"Schiza?"

Behind her, in this royal room that she didn't remember being in, with the royal red carpet and the windows and the chandelier and the painting, was Sonic, who was smiling a smile that comforted her, as he took a bow. "You look pretty, my fair princess. May we dance?"

The song began to fill the room, which was a song she didn't recognize, but was also soothing for her ears to hear. She nodded, wondering how she was suddenly an actual princess, but she was glad to see Sonic in a better mood, wanting to dance with her.

He took her hand, as they began to step and strut and Sonic twirling her around. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she enjoyed it, and wanted this moment to last, or at least, for time to suddenly linger and slow down, as the many images of the ballroom were swirling around her, slowly, but surely becoming a blur. She felt beautiful in her dress, the moonlight making it shine and glimmer like the stars that were outside those windows. She felt like it was hours as they danced to the melody, and they danced until they became tired, and rested near the window, gazing at the night sky and feeling the cold, chill air.

"So you're going back to school, huh? And you like school, right?"

"Yeah, and I want to make a lot of friends. Maybe they can be kind of like you, Sonic, always making me feel better when I'm sad."

He grinned and seemed quite jubilant, Schiza seeing his olive eyes scintillate from the moon. "And I hope all those kids can see how much of a wonderful girl you are, Schiza." They continued to stare outside the window, Schiza feeling a little breeze coming in. "You know Schiza, I really don't know what the night sky reminds me of. It's like there's a whole story behind it, and I forgot it somehow. When I see the sky, I see myself in some way. Did you pick up any books on the sky?"

"No, but I will next time. Maybe we can find out what the sky reminds you of, Sonic. Maybe you're a part of a story you don't know about."

"Maybe. But if I'm not real, I don't know about that, to be honest." He looked back at her. "Say, your birthday is coming up here soon. Is there anything you really want?"

"I want you to be real, Sonic. Real to everyone else, so other people can love you too."

"Well…I can't promise that one. What do you really want, deep in your heart, and I'll try to make it happen. But you can't tell me, that's how birthday wishes work, right?"

He pointed to the night sky. "Pretend that all these stars…are your candles. And I want you to think your wish really hard, and then blow them all away. Do your best."

She thought, as she felt her heart beat as she pulled out that wish deep down in her heart, and brought it to her mind. She closed her eyes as she gathered up all the air she could and the wish's image was clear in her mind, and blew.

The stars were suddenly no longer bright, as they suddenly dimmed down and flickered away. All eight stars that were in the sky that night were blown to the wind, the sky becoming completely black, except for the moon, which kept shining on her and Sonic.

She woke up right at the dawn of morning, seeing that she was in her bedroom with her pink frilly blankets and Sonic tucked right next to her.

She wondered if all she dreamt was real. It felt too real to be a dream, and it made too much sense to be a dream.

She also wondered if her wish would come true.


	20. Chapter 20

The sun was pink, as pink as her room and as pink as a torch ginger, as the clouds were beginning to emanate around it. A few days has passed since she had the dream of her being a princess and Sonic dancing with her. She thought about it those few days, discussing it with Sonic when he was alive.

"How come I was wearing that dress, Sonic? How come we were in the attic, and everything…"

She stopped. Sonic's finger was pursed between her lips, and he was smiling back at her affectionately, as he slowly whisked his finger away and replied.

"Sometimes magical things happen to good people."

She could tell he meant that the dream was a reality, but he wasn't going to tell his secret on how it all happened.

"You really are an angel…aren't you?"

"I don't know Schiza, but from being with you I learned quickly I'm not an ordinary hedgehog or toy. But like an angel, I'll watch over you. Real or not, I'll protect you."

She couldn't help it. She immediately reached over and hugged him tightly, feeling his silky fur that felt good for her body to feel. "I really do mean what I said that night when you read me that story. I love you, Sonic."

His hands distended, cradling her head and back. "I love you too, Schiza."

This was the day that she was going to her new school, Folwell Elementary. She was nervous, but also excited. She would see a completely new set of children and teachers as she would roam those halls. It was also now officially September and the breezes were beginning to get colder and the trees blushing to shades of red and orange. She loved autumn. She thought it was the most beautiful season. A time of suspension before the summers began to get cold and the trees would lose their leaves and become bald. Autumn always meant it rained and the skies would become gray, and the wind would gently draft over her, making her feel even more alive than she felt in years. She remembered in the happy memories of her being with parents, before they were married, her father would be wearing a big, brown leather jacket, with a set of black hair before he began to have a bald spot, raking the leaves as the wind made them rustle and roll all over their small yard and into the streets. When her father finished, smiling back at her, she would jump into the big pile of leaves, being buried in the dahlia bristles and stare into the sky, and forgetting about her troubles and feeling the caress of autumn overtake her.

The leaves were beginning to get rusty as she stared outside her window, but nothing that would make her decide that it was officially autumn. When her new parents arrived in her room, helping her get dressed up for her first day of school, she knew when she looked in her mirror that she was beautiful. Her hair was tidied up into a pony tail, marked by a large, ruby ribbon and a white and blue dress, similar to the one she would wear when her old parents would take her to church. But she wasn't miserable when she wore it. Her skin was also free of bruises and scars, not to mention that she no longer bone-thin and dirty. This was also another moment where she actually stared in her mirror, realizing all those kind words that Sonic, Renee, and her foster parents said were true. She really was a beautiful girl, and she didn't deserve the abuse she went through when her parents grew mad and broken. When Lorena was helping her into her dress shoes, she wanted to cry, but knew she had to hold back her tears, in fear of Sonic becoming upset.

"Schiza, what's wrong, dear? You look like you're upset…" Lorena said, as she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"I'm not sad," she sniffled a little. "I'm very happy. I feel loved and I feel…blessed."

Lorena smiled, as she squeezed her tiny hand. "I'm glad you feel that way, dear. Very glad."

Pagebreak

When she entered the school, she immediately noticed how large it was. The floors were pearl white, with letters of the alphabet and colorful numbers imprinted on them. Even if she felt intimidated by the new kids, not many of them even noticing her as she walked in the vast hallways, she knew there was nothing to worry about. The teachers would glance at her and smile, welcoming her. She was ready to go to her first class and be introduced to her new teacher when she saw someone that caused her to look, her eyes intrigued.

She looked a little older than her, probably in the 4th grade, with golden smooth hair and green as peacock eyes, wearing a black skirt with white laces around the end of her sleeves and cuff. She looked a little anxious, trying to get to the next room as quick as she could, but she couldn't help but think she was a pretty girl she wanted to have as her friend. And this was one of those few times she actually approached someone, carefully following her and gently touching her shoulders. She jolted in surprise, but her face lightened up a little when she faced her.

"Uh…hi," she said in a hushed tone. "My name is Schiza. You're pretty. What's your name?"

Her face suddenly began to get a little red, as she answered. "Oh, that's…nice of you to say to me. My name is Olesya. You…aren't going to make fun of my accent?"

Her voice sounded a little rustic, as if she was from a different country. Her words were heavy, but yet crisp, and Schiza enjoyed hearing it.

"No, I…actually like your accent. I like hearing it."

Her face grew redder. "The other kids make fun of my accent, so that's…good to hear. My family and I came from Russia three years ago. We used to live in New York, but we decided to move to Minnesota a few months ago. It's much quieter here." She glanced away briefly, then back at her. "Where are you from?"

"I lived in Minnesota since I was born, but I've been to California before. I've never been to New York or Russia."

"Well, New York was too much hustle and bustle for my family. My family didn't very much liked the government at Russia so we escaped to America. My family lived there for generations, but I guess they had enough. They were even there when Stalin ruled us with an iron fist, but soon they thought differently of my country. I have to go to my class Schiza, but it was nice meeting you. I think you're pretty too."

Schiza couldn't stop smiling, even when she disappeared out of her sight. She thought she had a new friend, and she really liked her.

When it was time for recess, the only thing she was planning on doing was read one of the books Roger and Lorena bought for her near the sidewalks. Although she gathered enough bravery to talk to Olesya, she was too afraid of the other children. They were all too new to her, too unfamiliar, and she felt it wasn't right for her to approach them just yet.

She was reading a fairly large book, full of fairy tales. Even if she felt uncomfortable in this new environment, she imagined Sonic reading it to her, and she was instantly soothed by the sound of his voice echoing into her head as she read each word. It was suddenly that his voice was interrupted by another familiar voice. "Hello Schiza."

She looked up from her book, seeing Olesya, holding onto a stringy jump rope. "I hope you don't mind. I can't find anyone to jump rope with. Would you like to play with me?"

She smiled again. She was delighted to hear her asking. "Sure!"

She handed her the other jump rope she was carrying, as she began to put her book away on the sidewalk and jump along with her. Even if she wasn't very good at jumping, Olesya continued to encourage her and she began to get better. She thought Olesya was very good, as she counted her able to jump over her rope about fifty times without stopping. When they grew tired of jump rope, they began to race across the playground and hang out at the jungle gym, talking to each other amidst the other children climbing the monkey bars and sliding down the slides. One of their conversations was about their favorite animals.

"I like zebras. They're just…very unique from other animals. Maybe one day, I can go to Africa and see their safaris. It was one of my dreams ever since I learned of Africa."

"I like Africa too. That's where one of my favorite animals live too. Hedgehogs."

"You like hedgehogs?" she asked, a little surprised. "They're very cute though, aren't they?"

"Yeah. I especially like Sonic the hedgehog."

"I'm not sure who Sonic exactly is. Isn't he that blue hedgehog?"

She nodded.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I like him too. He's cool."

"And he's very nice too! He's very nice to me-…" She cut herself off when she realized what she said. She thought she wouldn't believe her that Sonic came to life to her either.

"He's…nice to you? Do you think he's…real, Schiza?"

"No, no! I didn't meant that!" she exclaimed. "I would think he would be nice to everyone!"

"Well…I would think so too. He's nice to Tails…"

The woman who overlooked the playground blew on her whistle, signaling that recess was over.

"It was nice talking to you, Schiza. I think we're going to be good friends."

She smiled, back at her and when she lined up to go back to her class. She really was a new friend. And she really liked her.

When she came home from school, Roger and Lorena were happy to hear on the first day of school she already gained a friend and she felt comfortable there. She finished her day's homework, had a good dinner with her foster parents, and Sonic read her a fairytale to get her to sleep. Even when she was lulled by the story and Sonic's kindness, she was still excited to go to school the next day.

Pagebreak

Morning rose again, as she wore yet another nice set of clothes, her white blouse and a skirt to go with it. Sonic awoke with her, and he was brushing her hair as she stared at herself in the mirror.

"You're a beautiful girl, Schiza. I have no wonder in my mind that Olesya said you were pretty." He held her hair as he tied a ribbon around it, making yet another gleaming red bow. "Have a good day at school. I'll see you here, when you come back." He gave her a small hug, telling her goodbye as she left her room to eat breakfast with Roger and Lorena and then to go to her bus stop.

She met Olesya again during the walking to the next class and at recess. They were near a small tree, the leaves becoming a little more golden, which Schiza thought they were becoming a lot like Olesya's hair.

They were discussing nature. How they loved autumn and how they loved the forest.

"It's very cold in Russia though. We lived next to the wilderness at our old home, and I remember being near our furnace most of the time. It can get below freezing in Russia very quick, especially if you lived near Siberia. New York was definitely a welcome change from that, although I missed being near the forest. I thought it was beautiful, even if the trees had no leaves and I wasn't allowed to go near there, due to wild animals and all."

Schiza began to gaze into her eyes. "You know what else is also beautiful?"

"What?" she asked.

"I think you're beautiful."

"O-oh…Schiza…" She was beginning to blush. "I…never had anyone outside my family say that. Do you…really think I am?"

Schiza lowered her head, then back up at her. "Yes. You're very beautiful. You're the most beautiful girl I've seen."

Olesya then was taken aback, as Schiza quickly and suddenly kissed her on the lips.

"Schiza…wh-why did you…"

"Because I like you. I like you a lot. I really do think you're beautiful."

Olesya casted her eyes to the side, as she began to stutter and stand up.

"U-uh…I-I have to go, Sc-Schiza…"

"Where are you going?" Schiza questioned, as she began to run from her, running down to the playground, and then she was back inside the school.

Even if she suddenly became uncomfortable, Schiza knew she had a strange feeling she recognized. She really liked her new friend. In fact, she knew she loved her.


	21. Chapter 21

She woke up again, but found herself waking up from a dream about Olesya. In it, they were playing among a field of pink flowers, as they ran through the pathways and seeing the flowers that stretched on for miles. However, she could never remember these types of dreams. They were too good for her to remember.

She noticed that every time she even thought of her, her heart began to beat a little faster, wishing that she could see her again right at this very moment. She heard the birds chirping as she stood from her bed, seeing Sonic gazing at her window, watching the birds flit and fly from the trees near her home. He could see a mother bird trying to teach her hatchlings how to fly, as she darted from the air back to the tree.

"Good morning Schiza," he said as he smiled warmly back at her. Schiza couldn't help but smile back. She was glad he was alive again. She wanted to ask him something.

"Sonic, have you ever…liked someone?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking back at her. "Of course I liked someone. I like someone right now. I like you."

"No, not that," she whispered, her voice beginning to get small. "I mean…have you ever…liked liked someone?"

"You mean…have I ever loved someone? Schiza, I love you, but…you know, platonically, of course. Are you…telling me that you love someone?"

She nodded. "She's a girl named Olesya. I think I'm starting to love her."

"A girl, huh?" He began to walk from the window to her bed, sitting down and motioning Schiza to sit along with him. "That same girl who thought you were pretty?"

"Yeah." She sat on the bed as well, bouncing a little. "Is it…okay for me to like another girl? Because I…kissed her. And when I did that, she said she had to go and she left."

"She…probably got embarrassed when you did that. But…of course it's okay for you to like another girl. If someone tells you it's wrong, they're the ones who are wrong."

"Because I read in the Bible…" She then remembered what Roger said before about it, and she began to understand it. Everything in the Bible shouldn't be taken too literally.

"Love is still love, Schiza. Whether you love a boy or a girl it makes no difference. And I still love you even if you love Olesya or not. Just remember if anyone tells you it's wrong…it isn't, okay?" He once again gave her another warm hug. Even though she liked Sonic's hugs, she thought it would've been better if this was Olesya hugging her.

"I got to get ready for school, Sonic. Thanks for talking to me." When Sonic let go, she looked up and gave Sonic another kiss on his nose. She then grabbed the clothes she decided she would wear and left her room, shutting the door quietly, leaving Sonic in the morning glow.

He went back to looking outside of the window, as he thought about how quickly Schiza was growing up. He watched as the birds began to fly, following their mother for a while until she seemed to chirp to them that they no longer needed her.

He started to cry, as a single tear slid down his face.

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"I decided for today I would like to get to know all of you. So what we're going to work on class today is write about something you have that you really like and would like to show us tomorrow for show-and-tell. It can be a toy, a picture, almost anything that you have that has a special meaning to you." The teacher began to hand out her papers to the students, a paper with long, thick black lines, along with an empty space at the top of it. "I also want you to draw this thing. Don't worry if you think you're a good artist or not. Just try your best."

Schiza was excited as soon as she heard about the assignment, and immediately knew what to write about.

She tried to make her essay as fanciful as she could, taking some time to write the words in a nice, readable print. She knew she wasn't very good at drawing, but she thought she would try as hard on her drawing as hard as she was doing on her essay. When she finished writing on her essay (which took her 10 minutes longer than the other students), she began to draw and color vigorously with crayons. Her teacher, impressed by Schiza's work ethic, walked near her, leaning over to see her essay. However, Schiza blocked her from seeing it, using her hands to cover it.

"You can't see it just yet, Ms. Langlow. I'm not done yet."

"You really want me to not see your work until it's finished, huh Schiza?" she asked, smiling at her as she was a little amused. "Well, I wanted to say you're doing a good job. You really want this essay to be good, don't you?"

"Yes, and you can't see it until I'm done," she mumbled, still blockading the worksheet from her. She continued to put her hands over it until her teacher left, Schiza continuing to work.

She wasn't sure of how to shade, so she used all sorts of shades of blue for him. She knew it didn't look right, but she wasn't sure of how to erase crayon and wasn't sure of how she could make it look better. She finished her work (the last one to be finished) and still felt proud of it as she handed it to the teacher.

"Alright class, I'll take the time to read your essays while you go out to recess. It's about that time."

Right when she said "recess", the students already grew excited, especially Schiza, who couldn't wait to see her friend, Olesya. As soon as she lined up the students to go outside (some of them just waiting to burst out the door, and Schiza felt no different), she went back to her desk, the pile of essays beckoning for her to be read.

She already saw a glimpse of what some of the essays were about, things such as their gaming systems and their music players, but she was curious to see what Schiza wrote, as she wouldn't let her see her work until it was finished, and she was the last one to be done.

Immediately upon finding her worksheet she saw a lot of green and blue, as she colored in grass and the many flowers that were dispersed around them as she wore a white dress and crown, seeming to grin ear to ear, as many different shades of blues were used for a blue, spiky creature, looking like he was shining in the sun.

She thought this was her pet, but then she remembered the only pet she would possibly have that would be blue would be a parrot, and this caricature did not look like a parrot.

She began to read her essay.

MY FAVORITE THING

By SCHIZA MAHOGANY, 7 years old

My favorite thing in the whole wide world is my stuffed animal named Sonic. He is a blue hedgehog. Even though he's not real I play many games with him because I can tell if he was real, he'd love me back. He is very sweet and nice to me. I give him hugs and he hugs me back. I talk to him and he understonds. We went to play in the woods one time and he showed me a very beutaful place. It had shining flowers and a stream, and we played many games until sundown. He is also fast and will do anything for me. He is my best friend and I love him.

She glanced back at the drawing, seeing the multi-colored blue spiky creature. She began to realize that she was talking about Sonic the hedgehog and in the drawings and some of her sentences, she could tell that Schiza thought her toy was real.

She crossed off her misspelled words and decided to give her a A- for her work. She thought it would be better if she didn't question it until she showed him for show-and-tell.

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Schiza quickly dashed across the playground, seeing Olesya sitting near a tree, with a red and black checkerboard. She was flicking round, small black discs across it, hitting the pearly pieces and putting them away.

She approached her slowly, noticing that her heartbeat was becoming faster and her words began to come from her mouth as if her tongue was in a knot. "H-hi Olesya. W-what are y-you doing?"

"Oh, hello Schiza," she greeted, her face becoming a little pink at the thought of what happened yesterday. "I was playing a game I used to play all the time back at my country. Maybe you can play with me and I'll teach you the rules of the game."

"S-sure, I'd love to p-play with you. What's it c-called?"

Olesya smirked a little at her sudden impediment, thinking it was cute. "Chapayev. It's…sort of like chess, except you have to send your pieces against the other person's pieces, trying to hit them. And when someone doesn't have their pieces anymore, the other person wins. It's not really complicated, if you want to play."

She began to sit near her and on the other side of the board, putting the pale pieces back in place. "Okay, I'll play w-with you." She really wished she would stop stuttering.

"Well, the game goes in rounds. At first the pieces are arranged like in chess, and since you're playing the white pieces, you get to move first. You'll try to flick your pieces to hit mine, but when you don't hit any of them or you accidentally hit your pieces, it's my turn. And I get to move until I can't hit yours or I hit mine too. After each round though, the person who is winning gets to move closer to your or my pieces, until around the 7th or 8th round we're right next to each other. Then we pretty much keep going until someone has no pieces left or someone has no place to put their pieces at. It's rather a pretty simple game. So since you're playing the white pieces, you get to move first. Try your best."

Schiza knew she wasn't very good with "flicking" things. She knew when she was younger, she would have snot on her hands she could never get off. But she later learned that she needed to go to the sink and wash her hands whenever that happened.

She began the round, only forcing her piece a few centimeters nowhere near Olesya's pieces. "Good try," she said as she moved her black piece, hitting one of her white pieces with a loud click. And within one turn, she took out two of Schiza's pieces.

Schiza tried again, her piece going a little farther, but still not near hers. Olesya complimented her move, not before she snapped her piece again and hit yet another one of hers, and another she managed to flip upside down. "By the way, if you manage to flip someone's piece upside down, it's your piece. It's called a traitor."

They played silently, as they concentrated on hitting the other's pieces. Olesya was still winning a few moments later, until Schiza wanted to ask her a question.

"Olesya, is there someone in your life that you consider to be…your protector?"

Schiza managed to take out one of her discs, as Olesya once again regarded her turn. "Why would you ask that, Schiza? Any reason?"

"Well, I'm just wondering. Because I have a protector in my life. He was always there for me."

"Well," she replied as she began to move her pieces forward, taking out yet another of Schiza's. "I always considered my father as my protector. My family. They would do anything for me."

Schiza began to frown, thinking about hers. "I don't like my father. My old one, anyways." Thinking of her father she was able to hit two of Olesya's pieces.

"Good one! But I thought Roger was your father. Are you saying you were…adopted? What happened to you and your father?"

She could only stare as Olesya once again knocked her piece and another that became a traitor. "He raped me."

Olesya immediately stopped her turn, in shock. Schiza wanted to look deep in her eyes, to show her that she was stronger since the incident, but she can only see fear and sadness.

"I'm…very sorry that happened to you, Schiza. My father may be strict, but he will never think of doing that to me." Despite the change in tone, she continued to play, moving her pieces forward and motioning Schiza to do the same. "What did your mother do? I would think if he did that, then…"

"She would hit me and call me names. My dad hit her too. She made her do those things."

"What happened to your parents? Did they tell you?"

She knew she was losing and the subject matter made her not try as hard, but she continued playing. "I heard it on the news. My dad is going to be in jail for 20 years. My mom was sent to a crazy house."

The very thought of a girl like Schiza being abused the way she was made Olesya think about crying. But she held back her tears, but yet her voice began to break off in places.

"I'm…sorry about that, Schiza…I'm very sorry…that you had to go through that."

Schiza only had two pieces left. Olesya thought she should've stopped the game as she didn't want Schiza to lose, but she sent her piece rushing towards one of them, flying far from their board. It was then that they heard a whistle screech.

"Well…thanks for playing with me, Schiza. You tried your best, and sometimes that's all anyone can ask for, so thank you." She picked up the pieces, Schiza helping her. When they both tried to pick the last remaining disc, Olesya's hand was lying on top of hers.

Olesya didn't blush and tried to escape from the situation. She began to wrap her hand around Schiza's, squeezing it.

"Everything will be all right, Schiza. Your protector will make everything better, right?"

Schiza wanted this moment to last forever. Her hand was so warm in her grasp, and she could swear that they were both one, as they could both feel their pulses, their hearts making their blood race a little faster.

"Yes," she murmured. "Yes, he will."

It then came too suddenly to her. When she let go of her hand to pick up the piece, she leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek, as she put her game pieces and board away and she ran off.

The warm feeling of love raced throughout her body. She began to feel secure, that her life was going to be all right, and she deeply loved her new friend, Olesya.

She also thought on how she never wanted to wash her cheek again.

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The thoughts of Olesya wouldn't stray from Schiza's mind. She kept thinking of her, daydreaming about her, that she couldn't pay attention to her teacher's lectures. She kept wishing that she was with her, right now, and she could talk to her and tell her how much she mattered to her. She also thought on how she wanted to return the kiss she gave her.

After school she still thought of her, until she went to her room and met Sonic, when she remembered she had something to tell him.

"Sonic, I told my teacher a little bit about you," she said, as she rummaged through her backpack to get out her assignments.

"You did? What did she say? Hopefully you didn't tell her that…you know…"

"I didn't." Sonic sighed in relief. "But I want to bring you for show-and-tell tomorrow. Because I said you were my favorite thing in the whole wide world. And you are, Sonic. I want to show everyone."

"Well, I do want to see your school. And it's better than staying out here all day. What about Olesya, by the way? Did you see her today?"

Schiza rubbed her cheek, the place where Olesya kissed her. "She kissed me right back, Sonic."

Sonic glanced at her, looking as if he was also relieved at this tidbit of news. "She likes you."

"Yeah. And I like her too. I want to be with her." She couldn't help but turn bright red at the thought of her as she got out her pencil and math worksheet.

"Maybe you can ask her if you want to come over to her house. Like, just do homework there and be study partners. Her parents won't mind, right?"

"That's a great idea, Sonic! I can go to her house and we can study together! I can be with her more than just when it's recess!"

She felt too excited to do her work, but she managed to complete it, while she repeated her routine of speaking with Sonic, eating dinner with her new family, and Sonic telling her a story from her book of fairy tales to get her to sleep.

As he tucked her in and kissed her goodnight, he still couldn't help but worry over the impending arrival of her birthday. I really have to give her a great gift. A gift she will appreciate for many of her years.

He went in her closet and thought, thinking until he transformed back into a stuffed toy.

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She woke up again dreaming of Olesya (but still couldn't remember much of it). When she realized she wasn't there, she couldn't help but feel a little sad, until she realized it was yet another school day.

She saw Sonic at the foot of her bed, unmoving and looking blank. He was a toy again.

She was excited for this day. She would bring Sonic to show-and-tell and ask Olesya if she could spend the night at her home. Of course, she asked her parents if it would be okay, and excited that she had a friend and this would be her first time spending the night at a friend's, they said it would be fine as long as she lets them know of her address.

She decided today she would wear her dress pants and another white blouse, except with small purple and blue polka dots scattered on it. She carried Sonic close to her chest as she went out the door, going to the bus stop and conversing with the other children about him once they recognized what she was holding.

It was suddenly silent all around her. She couldn't help but be afraid when the outside of the school became empty, devoid of yelling children playing or going to their class. She held Sonic closer to her, even petting him to relieve some of the anxiety she felt, but even if Sonic's presence made her feel better, she was still apprehensive about how empty the school seems to be.

She stopped as she gazed at the sky, looking gray as lumps of slushed snow. She could see the sun, shining brightly, as if it wanted to escape from the clouds, but would only be hushed by them. She could also hear the wind trickling through the trees, making them sway and the leaves around her scatter.

She thought how strange it was that the school suddenly became quiet, as if she was the last person on Earth. She also thought it was like a big setup, much like a nightmare shown on her TV. But she kept telling herself that nothing was going to happen. Nothing bad. Just keep walking. Just keep walking…

She began to breathe faster, panting as she at once heard footsteps behind her.

Suddenly, she felt a hand forcefully yank Sonic out of her grasp. She tried to hold onto him, to take him back, but she was afraid of ripping him, like what happened to Lucky back at the foster home.

"Hey you big baby, why are you wearing all those nice clothes? Why are you carrying Sonic like you're a babe, huh?"

She looked up, seeing a black haired, plump but yet tall-looking child, seeming as if he came from the 5th grade, grinning a wicked Cheshire smile, as he rose Sonic in the air, out of Schiza's reach.

"Only dumb autism-types like you would like Sonic. I think I'm going to take him and do what I would really like to do with him. Put him in a wood chipper."

Her hands began to curl into fists. She thought that no one was going to hurt Sonic like that. She would never let him get hurt. But she wasn't sure if she could hit him much like he hit the child back at the foster home. But she wished to see his nose bleed much like John. She thought this bully deserved to get hurt and cry, so he would be taught a lesson. She began to raise her fist, preparing to swing at his gut.

The 5th grader began to utter an oof, as she saw a flurry of fists punching him in the chest and face. The fists also quickly turned into hands and grabbed Sonic, before he could notice that he was gone.

"You're in 5th grade and you're bullying a harmless 2nd grader just to make yourself feel better! Go to the nurse and whine like the coward you are! Mudak!"

She recognized her. The blonde hair and green eyes. Olesya came to save her and Sonic.

The bully kept clutching his stomach, as she punched him quite hard, feeling like he was going to puke his liver. "Maybe I don't know what a 'mudak' is, but I saw you guys out in the playground. You're both such dykes!"

He ran from them, hoping that she wouldn't catch up to him. He also hoped she wouldn't see the tears that began to run down his face.

Olesya never minded him. She only paid attention to Schiza, as she smiled and gently put Sonic back around her arms, Schiza hugging him tightly as she looked back into her eyes.

"Th-thank you so much, Olesya…I-I…"

"It's alright. There's no need to thank me. That bully deserved what he got."

Olesya began to wrap her hand around Schiza's, as she started to walk her to the school, escorting her to her class.

"Olesya, is it okay with your parents that I could come over to your house and we could do homework together? You know, be study partners?"

"Well, I don't know. I would have to ask them about it tomorrow. My parents, especially my father, are a little particular about people coming over."

"And Olesya?"

"Yes?" She stopped walking as she approached the 2nd grade hall, as she glanced over to her.

"What's a 'dyke'?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about that, Schiza. It's a bit of a nasty word, and you should never use it towards any girl."

She let go of her hand and walked down the hallway, both of them not saying another word.

"I love you," Schiza whispered when she walked out of her sight. She nuzzled Sonic, glad he was in her arms again, then began to stroll back to her class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Mudak" is a Russian insult, usually meaning "prick" or "asshole".


	22. Chapter 22

She hid away Sonic, listening to the other students talk about their favorite things. She tried to listen, but she was too anxious to show everyone her favorite thing. She kept glancing at Sonic, his eyes seeming to glow to reassure her that her presentation will be all right. Don't worry about the other kids. You can do this he would say if he was alive to her right now.

"Thank you for showing us that, Brian," the teacher said as the child stowed away his photos of his family in their vacation to Canada. "Up next is Schiza Mahogany, who wants to show her favorite thing…uh…" She looked at her essay again. "Her favorite thing is her stuffed animal…Sonic."

She walked to the front of the classroom, once again clasping Sonic next to her chest.

She began to get a little tense, seeing all the class's eyes peeking up at her, expecting her to say something that will be just as interesting as showing a pet dinosaur.

"This is my…um, toy, named Sonic. One of my friends back at Winona gave me Sonic when I was five years old. And…" She looked up back at their eyes, while she was holding him up underneath his arms. "…he's my best friend. He…helped me with a lot of tough times."

She decided she would tell them a little of the truth. Some of the truth as to why she moved to Rochester.

"My parents…they fight a lot. They would fight so much that they forgot to take care of me. I was put in a foster home, and the only thing I had other than Renee, my foster mom, and Klay, a foster kid older than me, was my stuffed animals. And when I was with Sonic, everything went away. I…used my imagination and made him real. We would play many games and I imagined him also telling me stories. He helped me sleep at night. I imagined him to be very nice and sweet, which was not what my parents were. I was adopted, but Sonic still makes me feel better if I had a bad day or if I'm scared. I love my best friend. I really do. I love him until he becomes old and dirty. When I get older and I have a kid, I will give her Sonic too, so he can help her through tough times too. And…"

The students and the teacher were listening to her intently now, all of their eyes on her. However, it no longer made her nervous. She was glad she had their attention.

"…that's all I have to say. Thank you for listening."

She went back to her desk, as everyone still locked their eyes on her. She heard no clapping, just penetrating silence as she sat down.

"That…was a very good show-and-tell, Schiza. Do you feel okay now? Do you feel…loved by your new parents?"

She looked back at Sonic, then back at Ms. Langlow, as she nodded her head slowly.

"Good. That's…very good Schiza. I want to talk to you when class is over, if that's all right with you."

She nodded again, as the teacher beamed a smile at her.

"Okay, now up next is Jennifer Farrow…"

She listened to the other students talk about their favorite things as well, until the bell rang throughout the classroom, Ms. Langlow startled a little as she was absorbed by listening to another student talking about his lucky sock.

As soon as the students were lined up to go to recess, Schiza stood by her, staring upwards at her. She really wanted to see Olesya again, but she knew what her teacher wanted to talk to her about was important.

"Schiza…I read your essay talking about your favorite thing, your Sonic toy. And…that was a very good essay and a very good show-and-tell Schiza. One of the best I ever heard and read. So you imagine Sonic to become real to you?"

"Yes ma'am." It was all she could say.

"Because I was wondering…you said that he hugged you right back and he talked to you. When I read that, I thought you probably thought he was real or something…"

"He is real, Ms. Langlow. Real to me."

"I…see. But whatever makes you happy from what you dealt with, correct?"

She nodded her head as she continued to hold Sonic close to her.

"Well, thank you for that presentation, Schiza. I'm actually quite excited to have you in my class, and the other teachers I talked to seem to be too. I hope you have a fun time at recess, with your friend, Sonic."

She nodded again, surprised that her teacher didn't question how Sonic talked to her and played with her. She realized she made a few mistakes on her essay, forgetting that no one would believe her that Sonic could interact with her like a real person. But her words still rang true. She really did love him. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like if he never appeared. She would never be in this new life, still with her damned parents, possibly dead.

She couldn't help but burst outside the door, once again meeting with Olesya. She introduced Sonic to her, and couldn't help but keep thanking her for saving his life.

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She once again returned home, doing her assignments, playing with Sonic, and having yet another fulfilling dinner with her new family. Tonight was Lorena's famed green bean casserole, a dish that was her specialty. And Schiza loved it, as she got herself another plateful.

"You were showing Sonic for show and tell, right dear? How did it go?" Lorena piqued.

"It went really great!" She was talking with her mouth full of food, something that she hadn't quite mastered in not doing. Lorena quietly told her to swallow her food, then she began again. "My teacher said it was one of the best show-and-tells she ever had!"

"Oh, really? That's great, dear! Wonderful! Do you agree, Roger?"

She thought Roger was strangely quiet this night. He usually was in dinner discussions, but he was more quiet than usual.

"That is wonderful, Schiza. I'm very proud of you, and you should remember that. So, what happened with Olesya? Did she say she was okay with you going to her home?"

"She said she had to ask her parents first, because they're…particular. But she did something really nice for me today! A…bully wanted to take Sonic away from me. And she actually stopped him and gave Sonic back to me!"

They both stopped eating, the clang of forks audible. "That's terrible, Schiza! That's good of her to do though! But what was his name? Did you catch his name? What did he look like?"

"Well…" She began to look down on her plate. "He had black hair, was kinda fat, and he was from the 5th grade. But Olesya punched him and told him to go away, and then he called us dykes."

It was then that Schiza began to jump in her chair, startled and frightened by Roger's sudden change in behavior. He slammed his hands on the table, making yet another ear-splitting kerjank, screaming. "He called you a dyke? A dyke! That is an outrage, Schiza! Boys like him should never…"

Lorena was also upset, but she tried to calm Roger, his anger still simmering when she held his arm and forced him to sit down.

"That's horrible, Schiza. He's in 5th grade, correct? And he…picked on you? And called you that?"

Roger couldn't hold his anger anymore, as he exploded, as if flames were beginning to stream from his mouth.

"No one should use language like that! Not in an elementary school, not in an office, nobody should call a little girl that! I'm reporting this to the school tomorrow! That boy should at the very least get his mouth washed out with soap!"

"Honey, please! You're scaring the little darling!" she cried, trying to sit him down again. "I agree we should report this tomorrow, but please, hold your temper!"

Schiza was scared. She has never seen Roger this angry. She thought whatever the word dyke meant, it was worse than a naughty word. It caused calm people such as Roger to split open at his very seams.

"I'm sorry you two, but I'm…very upset by this. So much so, that I need to go outside. Lorena, your green bean casserole was very good as always." He paced out of the kitchen, into the large vast hallway and to his coat hanger, putting on his brown spotted coat. He opened the door and left, the door shutting with a loud slam.

"Schiza, I'm…very sorry about that. I've never seen Roger that angry before, before he was…" The picture of him with many beer cans piled around his office was simulated in her head again, knowing she shouldn't say another word further.

"Schiza…do you want to watch some TV for a while, until it's your bedtime? D-don't worry about me dear, I'll just be putting things away. I'll let you know when it's time to head to bed."

She knew it was better to not ask questions. Obviously her parents were upset. She scooted in her chair and went to the living room, watching cartoons for the rest of that night. And when she went to bed, Sonic soothing her anxiety, it was also better to not say anything about it to him. She was afraid of him also becoming upset.

It was 2 AM. Schiza and everyone else in the house were fast asleep. Except Sonic. Her birthday was getting closer. And he still wasn't sure of what to give her. He couldn't go into her mind and look into what she really wanted (other than for him to be real). He didn't know if he could grant her her wish. He paced back and forth near the stairs, thinking. He wanted to give her something very special to her.

He decided to do the same as Roger this night. It was 2 AM. No one was up around this neighborhood. He could go for a midnight run.

He opened the door quietly, as to not to disturb her parents. Immediately upon leaving he was met with a gush of autumn air, chilling him through his fur. But yet he liked this. He liked the autumn air as much as Schiza.

He took a step, upon realizing that there was a small, white rectangular package near the front step. It was tied neatly with an azure bow, with a small note attached. He picked it up, thinking that Roger or Lorena ordered something, until he read the note.

Dear Sonic,

This should answer your question. Dispense wisely with Schiza. Continue to treat her gently and with kindness and love.

There was no return address, a signature or a "from" on the note. The package was completely from an anonymous person. Someone who knew about Sonic. He was too curious to wonder how someone knew him. He opened the package, carefully removing the bow.

He saw many assorted chocolates and candies, some seeming to be made from different ingredients, such as marzipan and licorice. They looked like a rainbow, all those different colored candies lined up in a row.

He also saw another note.

Sonic,

There is a label on the candies telling you what emotion they will bring. You know which ones you should use with Schiza. She's a good girl. The others are just for emergencies.

There were indeed small labels on each of them. The most interesting, he thought, was a ruby heart-shaped marzipan, labeled with Love. There were also Sorrow, Envy, Joy, Excitement, Anger, Acceptance, and Regret. He also had yet another set of them, seeming as if they were waiting to be consumed.

He smirked. A wide, jubilant smirk. He knew what to do with these.

He took a run out into the empty streets, noting how beautiful the sky was, with its many stars and clouds swirling around, creating a night that shone as much as a sapphire. He came back about a half hour later, clutching the box of candies as he went inside the home, hiding them in her closet.


	23. Chapter 23

Another night, and yet another dream about Olesya. And yet another good dream she couldn't remember. All she could remember was her face, tied with neat, shining claret ribbons. She distinctly remembered her fingers being wrapped like a telephone coil, her dainty, small hands that had nails that were just as red as the ribbons. There were many neat ribbons all around her, dangling from the ceiling and on the floor, glittering like sun near glass, but it was all she could remember. Ribbons. As red as the ribbon she always tied in her hair. She would've wondered about the meaning of the dream, but she also remembered what happened last night and that she had school again today.

As she got out yet another set of clothes for her to wear, she noticed that Sonic didn't greet her this morning. In fact, she couldn't find Sonic anywhere.

She didn't have enough time to find him. Her door was gently opened, a crack revealing Roger. He was wearing a dabbled gray suit with a dark blue tie, with his eyes and face looking grim and somber. She assumed he was still upset with what happened last night.

"Schiza, don't worry about getting on the bus on time. I'm taking you to school this morning. I have a word to speak with the principal about that…boy." He cringed a little at the very mention of him. "Don't take all day though. Take a shower, get dressed, and take some time to eat some breakfast. If I can manage to avoid the bus route we should get there on time, maybe a little early."

She was led out of the door, looking back to her room. She told herself that maybe Sonic turned back into a toy. He had to, since Roger came into her room. She never minded, as she prepared for her shower.

It was 7:10 AM. Roger arrived 20 minutes early. He took no time as soon as he arrived, marching out of the car and into the school building. He didn't even face Schiza when he said, "Have a good day, Schiza." She figured he was too angry to even take the time to tell her a proper goodbye. And she decided it was best she would take no part in this. She simply walked into the 2nd grade hall, where her teacher, Ms. Langlow, was writing down some last minute details on her lesson plan.

"Schiza, what are you doing here this early? Class doesn't start until 7:30."

"I know Ms. Langlow," she spoke softly. "My dad took me to school today. He said he wanted to talk to the principal."

"Oh? About what?"

"About a bully that teased me yesterday. He's mad about the word he called me."

"What did he call you?"

She hesitated a little, as she knew the word would also upset her teacher. "A dyke."

The principal straightened his tie, preparing his office and drinking his thermos of coffee. He enjoyed being a principal, but he recognized it was tough work. Constantly he would report students in his office, and day after day he experienced no shortage of peculiarity in some of these cases. He just recently reported a student for using all of his rubber erasers and creating yet no shortage of complaints from the other students and his easily offended teachers. He modeled his erasers into penises, then putting them in front of the urinals in the boy's restrooms. However, the school janitor and some of the other boys had a good laugh about it, and he could only express a sigh as he sent the culprit home with a note to his mom and dad. He wasn't sure about his mother, but he met his father before. He probably had a good laugh too.

He saw a man with a gray suit arrive at his office, too early in his office he added, but he noticed something different in him. He looked as if he was going into war, preparing to chop a man's head off. He noted it was Roger Valeheart, but he wasn't his usual calm self. Whatever he wanted to talk to him about, it wasn't another strange situation. Whatever happened directly offended him, much more than a student pulling a harmless joke on the faculty.

"Roger Valeheart, is there something that you wanted…" He already marched into his office, unannounced, sitting into his small gray cushioned seats.

He could tell that this wasn't good.

"Mr. Dobbler, I apologize to come into your office like this, but you should understand that something happened to my daughter that I am greatly upset by." Although his words were polite, he tried to keep some of his anger in, but his voice still sounded harsh and demanding.

"What happened?" There was no time for niceties. Something serious happened if it made a man such as Roger talking spit.

"My daughter, Schiza, ran into a bully yesterday. She doesn't know his name, but she said he had thin black hair and looked overweight, and you know what he called her? He called her a dyke, Mr. Dobbler! Calling my child, who is in the 2nd grade…hell, the child is in 5th grade, and he picked on a 2nd grader for chrissakes! What the hell is the matter with that boy? Calling a little lady that?"

He also didn't sound like the Mr. Valeheart he thought he knew and talked to on the phone. He sounded like a completely different man. A Dr. Jekyll turned to Mr. Hyde.

"Roger, please refrain from using those words! This is an elementary school!" He noticed Roger settling down a little, realizing his errors. "And…I think I know who you're talking about."

"Who? Who in God's name would say that? To that poor little girl? She was…she was…"

"Roger, please. I understand why you would be so angry, but I don't want you to cause a commotion to all the children here. Anyways, this kid has gotten a few slip-ups from me in the past. He's definitely a bully, but he never did anything worse than calling students those types of names…"

"It's still unacceptable, Dobbler! I have absolutely no tolerance for bullies, especially to my girl and using a word that she doesn't need in her head! I demand you suspend him from school grounds!"

"Well, of course I'll punish Jeremy with this. I have a no tolerance policy for bullying as well, Roger. I just can't punish him more severe than a 3-day suspension."

"And why not?" He tried to remain dignified, but he could still hear the words sizzling from his mouth.

"Well, I always try to help out that kid. He has a pretty troubled life. From what I know of him, he only lives with his mother, and they pretty much live from paycheck to paycheck. He never met his father. His mother tells me he left him because he was nothing but a traveling boozer now."

It all hit him. He became embarrassed. He never saw himself this angry, not before and not after when he was like Jeremy's father: nothing but a poor, miserable boozer who constantly grew angry at the resentment his father gave him, not to mention the overwhelming responsibilities his mother would put on his back. And what was he doing, acting like that drunk man again, in an elementary school?

"I'm…sorry, Mr. Dobbler. I'm extremely sorry for…how I acted. That's unlike me. It was incredibly rude and unacceptable, for me to act that way, especially in an elementary school such as this."

"It's alright, Roger. While you shouldn't have said some of the words you said in here, it does show me that you care a great deal about your daughter. And that's not a bad thing."

He lowered his head. "I suppose not. Not at all."

He was briefly silent, sitting back at his desk. "I'll call Jeremy here. I will also notify his mother why he's suspended. Geez, she's probably sick of me by now. She loves her child, but yeah, she finds this kind of behavior unacceptable as well." He stood up, extending a hand to Roger, who was now glancing at him with his stone cut eyes.

"Thank you for letting me know of this, Roger. You're right, that word should never be used on these grounds. Thank you."

He shook hands with him, a firm, strong handshake, Mr. Dobbler seeming to get a message of "This will never happen again" from him.

"You're welcome. I have yet another article to write, not to mention I have an interview later this afternoon. I'm sorry for…"

"Don't worry about it too much. Just make sure you compose yourself next time you come, alright?"

The secretaries gazed up at him, knowing they heard his tirade a few minutes ago. But he had no time to worry. He had to get some of his article done before the interview.

Although Mr. Dobbler seemed to be a bit unprofessional with his words, he could tell why he became a principal. He liked working with kids, no matter how troublesome they seemed to him. And even when he thought he was raving like a lunatic, he kept calm and told him to "not worry about it too much". He was probably damn good at his job and was a good image to represent the school.

He started up the car, the heat from the vents clearing up some of the fog in his windows. He thought he was too steamed up to think of wearing a jacket. It was getting colder.

Pagebreak

Schiza was completely absorbed into her math assignment. Although she didn't mind doing homework, she thought she should try getting this done before class ended. She already had three other assignments.

Then she heard the speaker spoke, in its bored, slightly feminine voice.

"Schiza Mahogany to the principal's office please. Schiza Mahogany, to the principal's office."

Even if she didn't do anything wrong, she always grew a little nervous upon hearing "principal's office". She thought the feeling hasn't worn off since she lived with her abusive parents.

As she walked into the office, she was met with a smiling, raven-haired woman with silver-rimmed glasses, looking up from her computer and greeting her. "Hello Schiza. Mr. Dobbler wanted to talk to you privately in his office."

She saw his office straight ahead, him seeming to be busy as he wrote out something in a student's folder.

"A-am I in trouble, ma'am?"

"Of course not, sweetie! He just wanted to discuss something with you. So don't be so nervous, honey!"

She'll take her word for it. She walked into his office, him noticing when she took a seat on his cushions.

"Ah, there you are, Schiza," he said as he strolled over and shut the door. "Good to see you! And don't work yourself up. You're not in trouble."

She'll also take his word for it. She took deep breaths, as Mr. Dobbler went back and sat at his desk. "Schiza, you said that a bully tried to take away your Sonic toy, is that correct?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

"And when he tried to provoke you to react, your friend, Olesya, punched him to get him to give back your toy, is that correct?"

She thought about lying, but she decided against it. She nodded again. "Uh-huh."

"Well, don't worry about her hitting him. I do have a zero policy rule about hitting but…she was merely just defending you, even though I know Jeremy. He teases younger children like you, but he actually wouldn't harm a fly. But Olesya didn't know this and simply defended you so you can get your toy back, and I really don't think I should send her a note or suspend her. And Jeremy called you a name, and that's not also acceptable here. But…there was something he mentioned I wanted to discuss to you about."

"You mean on how I think Sonic is…"

"No, no. Ms. Langlow told me all about that, and I also think that was a very good report. But he said he saw you on the playground, and you were…kissing Olesya."

She began to worry. She really was in trouble! She kissed a girl, and she was going to get suspended from school, even kicked out! "I'm sorry, Mr. Dobbler! I'm…"

"No Schiza! Don't worry, I already told you you're not in trouble! I simply wanted to ask you a few questions, okay?"

She thought she should trust him, when she began to take deep breaths again. When she looked into his gray moon-like eyes, he seemed reassuring. "O-okay…"

"Schiza, have you always…liked to kiss girls? Have you always liked them?"

"Well…" She kicked her feet a little. She always had a habit of kicking her feet, looking down, or playing with her fingers whenever anyone asked her questions. "She was the first girl I kissed. And of course, I like girls. I think they're pretty. Especially Olesya. I think she's beautiful."

"I…see. You like Olesya, huh?" He tapped his pencil rhythmically, to a song she recognized she once heard on the radio.

She nodded. "Yes. I think I love her."

He couldn't help but think these playground romances were always cute. "Were there any other girls you liked, Schiza? Any other girls you wanted to kiss?"

She thought, thinking of all the other girls in her school. Even the ones her classmates teased she liked. Because she knew what it was like. "I think they're all pretty. I didn't kiss any other girls, but if I could, I would kiss them all."

He nodded slowly, the office being silent. She could hear the clock ticking and the phone calls ringing from the other side of the door.

"Well Schiza, I just wanted you to know that it's perfectly acceptable for you to like girls, but there's a rule in the school that you can't kiss any of the students, whether they are a boy or a girl, but I'm not going to write you anything about it for now."

"But I like her. I like kissing her."

"I know, but you have to try to refrain from doing that here. If you meet her outside of the school grounds, it'll be alright. But you're a good girl, and I think you just need someone to tell you of that rule is all," he said, smiling. "You can go back to your class now, Schiza. Thanks for talking to me."

She was relieved. All the principal wanted to tell her was a simple reminder. She wasn't going to get a reprimand or suspension or getting kicked out. She was going to be all right.

She noticed she was very hungry, however, and it was pizza day today. She heard the bell ring and she walked to where her class lined up to go to lunch.

He encounters this kind of thing at least once every year. A boy kissing a boy or a girl kissing a girl. Children at Schiza's age sometimes wanted to explore and see what loving someone of the same gender would bring. He also encountered boys wanting to wear dresses and girls wanting to act like boys. He wasn't opposed to it, and he knew he would probably experience it more in his years. But it wasn't common for him to hear parents becoming concerned over it, especially ones he thought were a little extremist in their views. He would feel bad for the child, especially if the parent becomes outraged that their child needs to "act like a boy" or "act like girls her age". He would try to convince them that it was harmless, but to him, they were making a mountain out of a molehill.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get upfront to them about it. People like them were the reason why his brother died.

Oh God, can't think about that right now…He tried to get his mind somewhere else, back into Jeremy's record. His poor mother. How many times do I need to tell her of what Jeremy said in the school…

He then remembered he had to discuss with Olesya about this very same issue. And he was afraid. He knew her father. While he loved his family, he noticed he always assigned roles to everyone. Ever since he moved to America, he always thought his wife would have to be the housewife. His son, who was in the 1st grade, he thought as soon as he grew up and he was old he would have to take care of the family affairs and have a family of his own. And he mentioned he wanted Olesya to grow up to one day have a husband and have a family of her own as well. He wasn't sure how he would react to this.

He let the spectacled woman call for Olesya Illich-Svitych. He sighed, and pretended to work.


	24. Chapter 24

When she went outside to play, she noticed how much colder it was getting. The autumn air nearly bit her skin, as she also saw how the trees were changing their colors like a chameleon. They were now a golden honey-like yellow, and the grass near her feet also seemed to lose their vitality and become a pale, stringy yellow as well. The sky was drabbed and looked lumpy, much like the mashed potatoes they served at the school here. Teachers told her that she might need to wear a jacket, but she never minded them. She wanted to enjoy the air until the seasons changed again. The wind made her feel as alive as a newborn.

Her eyes immediately locked onto Olesya, her long golden hair flowing and drifting in the wind as she played on the swing set. She thought she looked beautiful, but she noticed that something was wrong. It was in her face.

Her face looked blank, but she could sense it in her beryl eyes that she was afraid. A type of fear she recognized when her parents would hit her.

She ran to the playground, shouting her name. "Olesya!" But yet she was too afraid to look, and she didn't look at her and kept looking at the ground until she was directly face to face with her.

"What's wrong, Olesya? You look like you're…scared."

"I am scared Schiza," she answered, her voice almost as blank as her face. "The principal called me about me kissing you. And…I don't know why, but he called my father about it. And…" She paused briefly, as she once again gazed at the ground, noting the woodchips that were being blown away by the autumn wind. Schiza thought she was now acting a lot like her when she was scared. "My father got angry. And he basically said he was lying and he didn't raise me to be a…you know that word that bully called us. And he was going to move us again, because he thinks the women here in Minnesota are tramps. I don't know where Schiza, and I don't want to go through this with my father. He is a very strict man, and he always wanted me to one day be married and have a husband and children, and not…being a harlot and kissing girls…" Schiza saw that she began to well up with tears in her eyes, and she wanted to hug her or somehow make her feel better, but she hesitated.

"I really do like you, Schiza. And I don't want to lose you. You were one of the first girls who were ever nice to me…they always just made fun of my accent and always thought I was weird with my customs. But…you were different, Schiza. You're a very kind, thoughtful girl. And I think with that you're even more beautiful than I thought."

Schiza also felt hot tears about to stream down her face. She knew she loved Olesya. She felt good when she was around and even when she heard her name, and she wanted her to be with her for the rest of her life. And she was going to no longer be in her life. "I always thought you were beautiful too, Olesya."

The tears were falling now, as she saw a few glittering in the light as they fell to her lap. "Since this is goodbye, Schiza, let's play one more time. A good game. Maybe the best we'll ever play while we're still children. We can climb the jungle gym and play something like tag or hide and seek, or cat and mouse or…" She stopped, expecting Schiza to reply.

"Yeah, hide and seek will be fine, Olesya. I'll let you be it first, if you want."

"That'll be fine," she replied, as Schiza began to gently hold her hand. It caused the tears to spring up again, feeling as if they were boiling, but she tried to swallow them back. They held hands till they reached the jungle gym, and they didn't care if any of the other children saw. But they seemed to not say anything, as if they knew of their impending separation.

And when Olesya was hiding, underneath the jungle gym near one of the poles that held it, hidden from sight, she felt herself nearly sobbing as she knew recess was about to end and she would never see Schiza again. She couldn't help but be afraid and even more grief-stricken over her father, who would probably tell her that she couldn't be at this school or even talk to Schiza. She could just hear him scolding her that she was only nine years old, and she shouldn't be kissing anyone, especially girls. She didn't care that Schiza would be able to find her. Her tears began to escape and she couldn't hold her sniffling and howls any longer. And when Schiza saw who was crying, she couldn't help but look at her with great, heart-filled pity.

She thought she could hear the lady blowing her whistle any minute now. Schiza crept in closer, then quickly hugged her with all her might, squeezing her as tightly as she could. And Olesya felt as if she never wanted to let go. She felt so warm against this cold wind. Her crying was hushed when Schiza quickly gave her a peck on the lips, feeling her auburn hair tickling her face when she nudged her.

"I love you, Olesya. I will never forget you."

Her voice was a little choked, but she managed to utter to her as she hugged her back, "Me too, Schiza. I won't ever forget you either. You're a beautiful girl, and I want you to never forget that."

The shrill whistle broke them up. She wanted to hold hands with her one last time, but Olesya couldn't bring herself to do it. She tried to hold back her tears as they both walked away in separate lines, going back inside the school building and were eventually broke apart.

That was the last Schiza ever saw of her, as she melted into the light like a ghostly apparition.

Page Break

Olesya arrived home at 3:24 PM. She was afraid as she entered the front steps of her home, her blazing white home with the golden rimmed glass door, and diffident about opening it. But she knew she couldn't hide from her father forever. And she didn't want to. It would be foolish to run away from her family, but sometimes she imagined herself with a sudden new family like Schiza's…but she reminded herself that Schiza's old family was much worse.

She went into the kitchen, greeted by the sight of her baby brother she affectionally called "Little Ant", but she wasn't in the mood to call him this name. He was getting himself into a box of fruit gummies in the shape of colorful dinosaurs, probably hungry after his day at kindergarten.

Anton Illich-Svitych however knew his father just as well as his big sister he also would affectionally call "Olsey". He never teased her about her getting scolded by their father. He feared him just as much as she did; the only sound uttered throughout the house was of him trying to open the fruit gummies' foil packaging. She wasn't sure where her mother was, but she feared him too. Although she would tell him to not be too harsh on the children, he would simply ignore her. She knew her voice wouldn't matter on this issue as she simply sat in the living room, reading Crime and Punishment in the faint glow of their lamp. She simply rocked in her recliner, as if she was in the fetal position.

It was then that she began to jump, as she heard a sound coming from the halls. She knew this was her father, coming out of his office room to talk to her. He was a very large man, well-muscled from his life back in Russia. He still exercised in his spare time, three times a week, to keep himself fit. He thought health was important as well, and abstained himself from cigarettes and alcohol. He had a straggly beard as well, as carrot red as his hair and sideburns. He would've shaved, but he thought having a beard was a sort of trademark for the proud outdoorsmen, so he very rarely trimmed it unless his wife complained or he went to some kind of a special event.

He saw Olesya, glancing at him with expectant, but afraid eyes. He didn't like having his children and wife to be so afraid of him, but he thought it was for the good of their futures. He saw what these American children were like, and he didn't want them to end up like them. He couldn't bear the look of those eyes he saw in Olesya, but even though he didn't seem to show it, he cared about her, and didn't want to see her one day dropping out of school so she could take of her daughter at 16 like these other children were doing.

"Olesya, I talked with your principal Mr. Dobbler today." His voice was very deep and very thick with a Russian accent. Olesya also knew that her father would still use Russian words in everyday conversation with his family. "He said a boy saw you in the playground kissing another girl. Is this true, Olesya? Is my girl, who's only 9, experimenting with girls? Answer me pravdivo," he seemed to almost bark.

She was too scared to lie to him, and she knew it would be useless to try to hide the facts from him. "Yes father, I did kiss a girl…"

"What was her name?" His voice was now deafening. Anton was close to taking his fruit snacks and hide in the living room with his mother, but his father's eyes when he faced him, commanding him to stay, because he needed to learn this too when he was older.

"Her name was…Schiza. She's a 2nd grader who thought…"

"It doesn't matter what she thought," he severed. "How old are you, Olesya?"

"Nine…" She really thought she was going to cry again, but she didn't want to do it in front of her father.

"Yes, you're nine years old, Olesya. Devyat. And what are you doing kissing other girls like you're some kind of harlot we would see surrendering their bodies to these Americans like mail-order brides? Ovet menya!"

She still remembered what that meant. Answer me. "I liked Schiza, because she was the first girl who liked me, father. She was very nice to me and thought I was beautiful." Her voice quaked a little, as she continued to gaze into her father's deep downtrodden mud-brown eyes which kept looking down to her very soul.

"I don't care what she thought of you! That doesn't mean you can kiss her like some damba drunk on vodka and beer! You know I want you with a husband when you're older! You know if you ever decide to go back to your home country you can't be that way! You will be executed if they ever find out, do you understand? I will not raise my daughter to be like an American tramp!"

She felt tears blurring her vision when he continued to yell, blaring loud enough for the entire family to hear: "I never want you to see Schiza ever again! We are moving out of Minnesota! I don't know to where, but I will not let my daughter stay in the same state as that Schiza girl and possibly other brodyaga you'll give into! Too many women here have lost their very values, and God be damned if I want you to keep holding onto them as much as you can."

It was then that she heard the slam of her father's door, back into his office. With her father's strength, the house seemed to shake along with the door, but she was surprised he didn't manage to break it at the seams.

Her mother, with golden blonde hair and her forest green eyes that she passed down to Olesya, came to comfort her children. She had to let it all go when she hugged her and Anton as tightly as Schiza had done, and realized that even with her strict father, she always stuck with her family, and she never wanted to leave them or even go down in the path of those "American tramps". She wanted her father to one day be proud of her, and maybe even say the same compliments that Schiza gave her.

Page Break

Schiza came back home, with about four assignments to do that day. But she felt saddened over the loss of Olesya, her first friend since she moved here with her foster family. And she really did mean those things she said to her. She really did think she was beautiful and smart and really did like her accent. She breathed out a hollow, mournful sigh as she arrived in her room, not even noticing Sonic smiling pleasantly at her as he waited near the edge of her bed.

"Hey Schiza, what's the matter? Is there anything that's eating at ya today?" He patted at the bed, motioning her to sit down along with him.

"Yeah Sonic, I don't feel so good. I really think I lost a really great friend. And I feel like my heart…was stepped on and there's a mark from a shoe on it."

His smile faded when she described her heart. He immediately felt compassionate towards her and tried to think of a way to comfort her while he talked. "That girl you liked…Olesya. She's gone, is she?"

She nodded, trying to hold her tears back in as to not upset him. No, Sonic never wants to see me cry again. He'll bleed again and maybe even die. "I really miss her Sonic, and I don't think I'll ever meet her again. She said her father was going to move somewhere else because she was becoming a harlot, whatever that means. I…think I really did love her."

It was then that he suddenly remembered what to do. He thought it was a bit too early for it, but now would be the perfect time to use it.

"I think you did too. Being heartbroken isn't an easy feeling to get over. Not at all." He stopped fleetingly. "But I know what will make you feel better, and I know someone who loves you too."

"I know you love me Sonic, and so do Roger and Lorena, but…I really felt like I could be with Olesya, and I really did think she was beautiful and I really did like playing with her…"

"Well…" Schiza looked up at him, noticing that now he had a playful smile. "The tickle monster loves you too!"

He began to move his fingers over her body, tickling her. Schiza immediately erupted into shrieks of laughter and pleas of "Stop it, Sonic! I mean it!" But she was smiling and laughing as Sonic began to play with her, doing anything he could to make her forget about Olesya for a while. He thought it would be good for her to get her mind on something else.

She was now on his belly, slowly rising and falling as he breathed. She started to play with his ears and pet him lovingly, feeling his warm fur as she ran her hand through it. He continued to smirk, watching her intently as she began to speak.

"But I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget her or…deal with it. I really felt like I was in love with her, and now I won't be able to see her again. I don't know why her father now wants to move somewhere else when he learned that she kissed me…"

"Schiza, I actually have something special for you that I kept in your closet, that I think might help you deal with what happened with Olesya a little better. I was planning on giving it to you on your birthday, but seeing as how it's tomorrow, I…"

"I forgot, Sonic! Tomorrow really is my birthday, isn't it?" He nodded. "I'm sure Roger and Lorena are planning something for me, aren't they? I need to talk to them about where I want to go…"

"Not yet Schiza." He rose, gently lifting her off his body and putting her on the bed. "I'm going to give you your present before you go to your parents."

He stood up from the bed as he strolled over to the closet, picking the rectangular blue ribbon package from the shelf. He looked at the candies again before he made his decision on which one he was going to give her: Acceptance, a blue round gumball candy.

"I saw these at your doorstep the other day and…I think this might help you with that situation with Olesya. Or at the very least, accept that she's gone now." She saw that Sonic gave her in the palm of her hand was a blue gumball, rolling it around with her fingers. "You can eat it, and keep chewing until your heart no longer feels heavy and sad anymore. Then that's when you can swallow it. Don't worry; it won't be stuck in your stomach forever."

She believed him, and she popped it in her mouth. The gumball had a tangy, blue raspberry taste in it as she reduced it into a grayish-blue blob, and for the rest of that day, she kept chewing it, realizing that over time, she was beginning to accept Olesya leaving.

She hid the gum at supper time when they beckoned her to the dinner table, discussing their plans for her on her birthday. And when she was done eating and was excused, she popped it back in her mouth and continued to chew. She even chewed it when she was doing her assignments, and for some reason she felt like she was a stereotypical teenager mulling over her math homework.

Finally, night fell, and it was time for bed. She realized, not only was her jaw tired and sore, but as Sonic said, her heart was no longer heavy over the loss of Olesya. She accepted that she wasn't there anymore, and as strange as it was, when she swallowed her gum, she was okay with it. But she still remembered her beauty and her kindness towards her fondly as Sonic tucked her in in her bed, kissing her goodnight. "Goodnight, Schiza. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams to you too…Sonic." She wasn't sure why, but she was exhausted, and actually looked forward to sleeping. She yawned deeply, then covered herself completely in her warm, pink blankets and went to sleep, dreaming yet another good dream. But she wasn't sure if she was going to remember it as soon as she woke up.

Sonic watched her rustle a little in her bed, but he knew it was now time for him to leave. He was far from done with giving her birthday present. He was going to do something far more meaningful to her. Something he knew she wasn't going to recognize until much, much later. Something that he was planning to do ever since he met Schiza.

I don't care if this makes me the bad guy, Schiza. I really feel like I need to do this. For you, my sweet darling princess.

Page Break

He served two months of his 20 year sentence. And he felt like it was going to keep dragging on like this, picking him apart piece by little piece, like an ant who slowly bit into his prey and savored every bite he took, knowing how much he was going to need his energy for the long draining work ahead of him. He literally felt the ant's antennae as it examined him and the mandibles crushing his flesh and bone. That was his sentence.

A fight broke out earlier and he nearly got stabbed with a fork during lunch. He knew how he was going to relate with his prison buddies was not going to end up well, as he heard that people the prison deemed as child molesters and rapists were usually beaten black and blue or even killed when they entered prison. He was sent to a high-security cell all by himself to protect him from the other prisoners, but he wondered if it actually was all worth it. The prison was actually taking great lengths to protect a piece of shit like him? He didn't want to admit it, but he looked at how his life turned out. He married Roseanna to start having a happy family, to have a good kid who didn't turn out as bad as a rotten apple like Schiza, and to get a raise or maybe get a better job that paid better than his piece of shit one where he constantly had to kiss his boss's ass. But he knew that was all over now. In the slammer for 20 years…20 years was a long time, and he knew he wasn't going to get that raise now with a criminal record, especially for an accusation that he molested and raped his own child. But he could only think to himself "Such is life". One minute he was working at a dead-end job, and then the next he was in prison where his "friends" would constantly make fun of him for wanting a piece of "5-year old ass".

As he read some Homemaking magazine he snatched from somewhere he didn't remember, hell, he only looked at the food the magazine had pictures of and basically told himself he was never going to eat food like that for at least 20 years, he suddenly heard a whisper. Jack.

He looked up at the Plexiglass screen that separated his cell door and the outside world, thinking that a prison guard was talking to him. But there was no one there, and the prisoner in the cell next to him was asleep, knocked out cold.

He continued to look at the magazine, thinking about how good that macaroni and cheese recipe would be if he actually was good at cooking once he got out.

Jack Mahogany!

"Who's there?" he needled, looking back at the cell door and listening intently in the other cell. But nothing. Just snores and maybe footsteps echoing through the metallic halls. There was nobody there.

It was then that he saw green eyes stare at him intensely as he looked back at his magazine. "Jack Mahogany."

He looked up, seeing the face more fully. It was blue, and looked like a hedgehog. He recognized it was Sonic, the stuffed animal that his daughter Schiza received when she was five years old. The stare was cold, and seemed to be full of hate, and seeing a stuffed animal come to life and that stare frightened him to the very core. But he tried to keep it inside, as he cried out, "The hell are you? Am I hallucinating or something?"

"No," he said coldly. "You're not. I'm as real as you, despite being a plaything of your daughter's. Get up, now. I want to give you something."

"The hell you are! I'm not crazy like some of the lunatics I saw in this prison, and I know you aren't real!"

His stare and voice didn't falter. "I may not be real to you, but I'm very real to your daughter. And you know what? I think you do have some issues in your head. You're pretty damn crazy, Jack."

He froze, terrified that this hallucination would give him such an accusation. He was going to come up with some kind of retort, until Sonic spoke to him again, with his voice that he didn't recognize from the TV shows. It seemed to seep of hate.

"Jack, have you ever thought, at all, of all of the suffering you caused to your innocent daughter and wife? That you deserve to go to jail for what you did, and you should deeply regret that what you did to your daughter and wife is going to be on her mind for the rest of her life? You beat your wife, Jack. You raped and molested your daughter, Jack. Have you no shame in what you did?"

"You're lying," he whispered, his voice coming out in harsh whistles of air. "I never hit my wife. I never raped my daughter. I may have hit Schiza, but it was for her own good. You know that kids need to have some redirection, and Schiza…"

"No she doesn't, Jack. I can see you're simply denying what you did to them. You don't even see that your so-called beloved wife is suffering back at the psychiatric hospital for what you did to her, and she probably won't get out for many years. Maybe this will help you remember."

In the palm of his hand was a clear yellow piece of hard candy, looking like a peridot. Jack assumed that this was a lemon flavored Jolly Rancher.

"So you're going to give me candy? Is that the best you can do?" It was then that Sonic, in a mess of blue blurs that his eyes couldn't clearly catch, shoved the candy in his mouth, and he was gripping onto his mouth and throat, but not applying so much pressure that he was choking him (but Jack thought he would've oh so loved to do that).

"Taste it. Taste it and savor it like it's going to be the best food you're going to have in this dump. Suck it like the many dicks you're probably going to suck here."

He badly wanted to punch him in the nose and make him bleed for what he dared to say to him, but he felt that his grip was powerful, and he had his hand on his throat. If he made any move to hit him, he would probably have no problem choking him and reveling in his struggling like Darth Vader would when he used The Force to choke any stupid worker who fucked up.

It was when he tasted the tart lemon candy that he began to have a flash of memories. It was when Schiza was two years old, playing in the sprinkler on a warm summer day. He just got back from his job, exhausted from his day of work. Roseanna was off to the grocery store, and he was left with her, as she played in her bright orange and pink bathing suit.

And when he looked at this memory, he actually grew very disgusted with himself, groveling at the big bulge in his pants. He realized that he had an erection, and he immediately felt nauseous. But even if he wanted to puke, Sonic would've clamped his mouth shut, making the acidy, disgusting taste remain in his mouth while he sucked his lemon Jolly Rancher. So he tried to swallow it, his throat hurting a little as he tasted a foul mixture of what he had for supper.

It was then that he took his fingers and began to molest her when she went inside the house, penetrating her with his fingers and licking them. He cringed, bile rising in his throat as his pink tongue glided over his finger, Schiza beginning to cry. And he began to scream, only coming out as harsh mumbles. But he wanted to so badly yell, "Why are you showing me this? Please make it stop! I don't want to see this anymore! Please!"

It was then that he was instantly taken to when him and Roseanna had their first argument. He didn't understand or remember what it really was about in the first place, but he could hear distinctly that she was going to divorce him and take Schiza with her. That was when he shoved her into the wall, beginning to beat her until she cried out, "Okay, I won't take Schiza! Just please, make it stop!"

The hard candy was now a mere shard, but the memories and guilt began to flash and overtake him. He was taken to where he drank till he was so drunk he barely knew what he was doing anymore, and he came home one night and raped Schiza while her mother was away, and he continued to drink and rape her for a few more nights. Then to screaming and beating both his wife and his daughter, and at last, he had tears in his eyes, as he resisted Sonic's grip and shrieked like a screaming banshee, "Okay, I'm sorry! I deeply regret what I've done and I will make it up to you! I'll serve my 20 year sentence, change myself, start really be a believer in God, anything to make these visions stop, please I beg of you!"

Sonic let go. Jack couldn't hold it anymore, and he began to sob, holding his face so Sonic wouldn't see his tears, so he wouldn't see him falling apart. But Sonic held no sympathy for him. He could only glower and glare with those green-ringed eyes he thought were turning into a deep glinting gold. "I'm so sorry for what I did...I'm sorry, Roseanna! I'm sorry, Sonic! And most of all, I'm so sorry for you, Schiza! I will do anything to make your life better! Anything! Please! Please, for the love of God, Sonic, believe me!"

He could only look at him with contempt, enraged that this man hurt and fractured his dear princess, and that she would live with the memories of her own father raping her for the rest of her life. He wanted to teach him a lesson, to make him learn that you should never abuse his own child, hell, no one deserved to be abused, he thought. He was glad he was crying. He was glad to see him in pain. "I hope you realize when you rot in this dump, you begin to realize how much of a scumbag you are. I may not believe in God, but I think if he was real he saved Schiza and there's nothing you can do for him to save you. When you die, you're going to burn in Hell for all of eternity, and I think you absolutely deserve it. How dare you…how dare you hurt your wife, and your daughter. The only thing I'd advise you to do is to live the rest of your life trying to repent what you did, and hope to God that he forgives you. Because if I was him, I wouldn't."

He could swear that Sonic's eyes suddenly glowed, becoming as hot as coals and turning from that rich auric gold to a red as bright as the infernos of Hell, as if his eyes became pillars of flickering flames. His fur grew longer, his blue quills reaching to the sides of the cellar as they began to puff out and transmogrify into thick black strands of feathers, his mouth becoming hard, dense, and yellow and when he cawed murderously and nearly deafened him, he swore he fell into a deep abyss, into a world where only sickness, madness, and hate only lied, and he would suffer there forever, feeling only pain, misery, and insanity.

Then he awoke, his bed covered with sticky sweat, his throat feeling raspy as if he screamed. Luckily, the cell next to him didn't hear him. He continued to gasp between breaths, checking to see if he was still in prison and not that abyss. And for the first time since he's been here, he was actually glad he was in prison.

But he immediately thought of the pain he inflicted on his dear wife Roseanna, who was suffering at the mental hospital many miles away from him, and his dear daughter, Schiza, who he will never see again. He would never see the both of them again, and they will never forgive him. He realized he was a vile, disgusting man, and he began to cry, his body writhing as the tears fell down his face.

When Sonic disappeared from that jail cell, he felt a single strand of a black feather on his fur, but he swiped it off, unalarmed.

It fell in the corridors of the jail, remaining still for the rest of that night. In the morning, another prisoner noticed the feather, thinking how strange it was that a crow feather somehow snuck into this prison, and he kept it in his diary.

When he felt that feather, loathing and hatred seemed to become injected into his body, as he wrote out a poem called "Revenge".

As the black crows caw into the night

I am beside myself, as I am holding onto a knife

I cannot think, my mind is nothing but a dark symphony

The voices call, killing you is my destiny

Your blood will be smeared on the walls

I will madly cackle and smirk as you fall

The police can take me away, but I do not care

They can take my life in the electric chair

But when I saw the man bloodied and screaming and pleading

I felt powerful as I plunged into his chest with my silvery knife

I never even had the thought of why I took this man's life

I was too excited, that I got to play as God for one night

His diary was found by security later that night, as the prisoner died by lethal injection. And when they saw that page with the crow's feather and his poem scratching the page, they also felt hatred towards him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pravdivo: Truthfully
> 
> Devyat: Nine
> 
> Damba: Dyke
> 
> Brodyaga: Tramps


	25. Chapter 25

It was dawn, the sun a bloodied red eye that seeped everywhere on the yellow parchment. Sonic was still up, and he began to think the sky looked as if it was stabbed, blood running across the horizon. He wasn't sure why he began to have these violent thoughts and metaphors. Her father suffered enough. But no, he wanted to break him down until he was nothing but grains of dust, nearly nonexistent. But what would that make him? He knew he wanted to make Schiza think of him as a loving angel who came to protect her and guide her. But he thought of himself as a dog with a spiked collar that viciously attacked anyone who came close to her. But for all he knew, he was kept on metal chains, the chains squeezing his throat and embedding deep into his neck.

He loved Schiza. So much. He didn't want to see her suffer anymore. He realized at this moment he would do anything for her. After all, he considered her a princess, and him a loyal servant. And anyone who dared to try to hurt her? He thought they got what they deserved.

Love is a very powerful feeling. When you deeply love that person, you'll do anything for them, anything to please them. Sometimes, this Love blankets and choke the brain, when you realize that you really were willing to do anything for them. And your brain is choking, Love has it by her long black nails at the tips of her fingers. Then that Love becomes blind. It becomes Madness. And through Madness, you become blind. So blind, you don't even realize that you murdered someone because Love told you to. And some still can't see, and continue to be Mad. Anything to please their Love. Anything to quench their thirst, to no longer be hungry. Love becomes as essential as food and water to them, and it is then that it becomes a drug, and you realize that without it, you might as well be dead.

He didn't want to be Mad. But when he held Schiza's father, he could feel his fingers slowly clamping around his throat, making him struggle and gag, his face becoming as blue as him. He wanted him to beg for mercy, to utter another please, but he wanted to deny it, and continue to make him choke until his eyes rolled back and he was in Hell.

This wasn't like him, he realized. But he hated her father.

At that time, he was sitting in the corner of her room.

His eyes were unblinking and dead.

He saw that shadow come in, slip in, make her cry and sob.

Then there was that disgusting whiteness, all over the bed.

He cringed, and grew sick. But he couldn't make it stop.

If he had a knife…

He would take it…

Stab him…

And he would make him pay, mixing the white with the red. His blood for her suffering. An eye for an eye.

He should've killed him when he had the goddamn chance.

He felt his fur hardening, as if it was cold and the wind began to make it freeze. He felt around his head, feeling three hairs that felt like feathers. He plucked them, and although it hurt a little, it didn't hurt as much as pulling apart his quills. And he saw that they were feathers. So black, yet he could see a shade of very dark blue in the small twigs of fluff at the bottom.

And he felt himself breaking down.

"Sonic…" he heard a tiny voice mutter. "What's wrong?"

His princess. His darling. So sweet, so pure. If only her father didn't scar her. He could only do so much to mend the wounds.

"Hello Schiza." She noticed his voice sounded…different. As if his soul was completely sucked out of him. His voice seemed to carry the debris of decay.

"Sonic, what's wrong?" she could only repeat to him. And he stood there, unmoving, as if he was back into a toy.

"Nothing, honey." Even when he affectionally called her honey it seemed lifeless. "It's a bit too early for you to wake up. It's Saturday, isn't it?"

"What's wrong, Sonic? You don't…sound okay."

Silence. And she could still see his shadow being completely still, staring at the blood stained sky.

"Schiza." There was more silence for a while, until he spoke again. "You know I'll do anything for you, right?"

"Sonic, you're scaring me…"

"Then Uncle Sonic won't scare you anymore. He'll make all the nasty things go away. He'll make all the monsters go away. Because Uncle Sonic loves you very much. He'll do anything for you. Anything for you, my little princess."

Her heart began to thump in her chest. This wasn't like Sonic. He sounded, he acted, he even felt…different. Something wasn't right. He wasn't right.

He approached her slowly, realizing that she was shivering even when Sonic put the blanket over her body and tucked her in. He kissed her again on the forehead, but she didn't feel loved. She felt fear.

"I love you, Schiza. Uncle Sonic loves you very much. And one day, he's going to make your daddy pay. Your daddy scarred you, scarred my little lamb. But I will protect that lamb, even if it means ripping your daddy apart. I will be the lion who protects that lamb, yes."

It was still dark in her room, even with the sun's rays stabbing through the window, but she thought she could see Sonic's eyes become gold as wheat. And when he held her head, she thought she could feel many feathers underneath it.

"You still can't sleep, dear? Don't worry; I will rock you to sleep. I'll sing you a lullaby. Anything for my precious darling. Anything to get her to sleep."

She began to sweat as she saw that she was being lifted, Sonic becoming black, his hands becoming wide wings, as he took her to his feathery body, huddled her close, and began to rock her gently. He began to croon, his voice sounding dark, but yet smooth as velvet.

Hush little baby, don't say a word

Cause Uncle is going to buy you a mockingbird

If that mockingbird doesn't sing

Then Uncle is going to buy you a diamond ring

If that diamond ring doesn't shine

Uncle is going to buy you a roll of twine

If that twine gets blown away

Uncle is going to make your father pay

If your father can no longer breathe

Uncle is going to wash his hands of the deed

When Uncle realizes his hands aren't clean

Uncle is going to buy you a castle near the ocean breeze

We will live there together in peace

And Uncle is going to get you whatever you please

Her heart was beating too fast for her to be soothed by his rocking and his voice. Sonic wasn't there anymore. He was replaced by a raven, with those crimson, glowing eyes that she could see so clearly in the dark, with that sharp, thin beak, as it opened its mouth wide and screeched a ear-piercing caw, thinking it was so loud, it would pierce the sky and the sun would crack open like an egg.

But she awoke, panting and sweating and feeling like she wanted to cry. As she slowly came to the realization that she was in her room, not under that crow's wing, she kept reminding herself that it was only a dream. Yet another dream that she wasn't sure had actually happened.

She saw it was about mid-morning, the sky looking a deep blue on this autumn day. She saw Sonic sitting on her bed, silent and stationary. He was a toy again, as his unmoving eyes seemed to gaze up at her with a fixed smile.

She realized it was her birthday today. Roger and Lorena were going to give her some cake and ice cream, and anything she wanted out of the toy store or any store she desired. But after she had that dream, she wished they could give her some comfort and assure her that Sonic didn't become insane and was going to become a monster. He would still be loving, and his mind would still be intact.

She tried to focus her mind on other things as she picked out yet another dress that Renee gave her when she bought her clothes back in foster care, a nice white frilly dress with small black dots printed on it. She prepared to take a shower and do the usual brushing her hair and tying it with her red ribbons, but she couldn't help but be afraid of that toy as she thought it kept staring at her as she walked out of her room.

But she knew she would bring Sonic with her on this day. The dream didn't tell her anything. Sonic was still there for her, still affectionate and caring, still protective and willing to do anything for her.

But she thought the last two traits he had were beginning to scare her a little.

Pagebreak

She kept Sonic close to her as they drove to a toy store down south. She really wasn't sure on what she wanted. She figured she would have more stuffed animals, especially one that would replace Lucky. She couldn't think of anything else she truly wanted.

She was eight now. She could think of this year as when everything completely changed. She was no longer in her parent's house, and she was fortunate that she didn't have to celebrate her birthday there, she thought. Her parents wouldn't care at all that it was her birthday, and she wouldn't get anything from them at all.

The last birthday she remembered with fond memories was when she was five, when her friends surrounded her, when her parents loved her, when she met Sonic. If she was there now, she would tear up that she actually had friends who wanted to celebrate her birthday, who actually gave her the time of day. But back then she didn't think of it as anything. But when that girl (she now couldn't really remember her name) gave her Sonic, she really did think she was going to cry. Even when he wasn't alive she loved him, and she grew attached, taking him everywhere she went. To the grocery store, to school, to the vacation in California…

But she wondered if he was beginning to change. She could still remember every detail in her dream as if she just woke up from it. Hearing Sonic's dead and cold voice made her think that he was…sick. His mind was sick. She didn't want to use the term "crazy", but she heard of the term, "mentally sick". He mentioned many things about her father, and basically sung a song on how he was going to murder him. She wondered if he grew sick at the very thought of her father. She knew she did, but physically. Maybe somehow the very thought of her father still being alive after what he did made him become insane.

But she couldn't think of that anymore. Roger parked the car, and they were in front of a large toy store, with its colorful letters and parents coming in and out with children at hand.

The fall air was getting to her, her fingers cold and feeling stiff as Roger opened the door for her. Even though it was her birthday, a happy occasion for Roger and his wife, she wanted to get it over with.

When she came inside, she not only was relieved by the feel of warm air, but it was vast, the aisles bursting with toys at every nook and cranny. She wasn't too interested in the latest hottest toy that the store offered, which was apparently some kind of robotic dinosaur. She only thought of it as a simple novelty. She just wanted to pick her stuffed animals and leave.

There were many cute and glossy faces peeping at her as she approached the stuffed toy section. They had animals of all kinds: rabbits, cats, monkeys, penguins, teddy bears, nearly any animal she could think of. She was only interested in the stuffed variety. She wasn't sure why, but the ones that came alive scared her with the thought that she had to take care of them. She only wanted one that would stay still when she hugged it. It talking or trying to wriggle out of her grasp, even monotonously replying back "I love you" made her feel uncomfortable. And she didn't understand why children wanted a toy that lied to them.

She was quiet as they picked out each toy for examination. She wasn't sure what toy she wanted, but at the same time, she thought she didn't really care. But as she looked at each one, their stitched faces seeming to beg her to pick them, she wasn't too interested in any of them.

She was so worried about all these toys suddenly coming alive at her that she didn't seem to notice Sonic escaping from her grasp and slipping away, walking to the next aisle. She thought she could hear sneakers stepping on the hard linoleum floor, but she could only think it was another kid also picking out a toy for himself.

She looked again at one of the stalls. She could only think of it as a mere coincidence, with that large, golden lion with the fuzzy mane surrounding a shiny fleeced lamp, with its seemingly innocent blue eyes looking up to him. They didn't seem to look at her. They were looking at each other, their eyes in a mutual agreement of trust.

I will be the lion who protects the lamb, yes. I will protect that lamb, even if it means ripping your daddy apart.

She immediately wanted to separate them. She thought she would just take the lamb and use it to replace Lucky, and just get out of here. She thought she had enough.

"Roger, Lorena! I want this one! Let's go, okay?"

"Oh honey, why do you seem to be in such a hurry? You can pick out more toys if you wan-…" Lorena said, until she was cut off by Schiza answering her back, seemingly in one breath.

"I only want one toy, okay? I really don't need any other ones. I'm hungry, let's go back home and eat."

"Are you sure, darling?" Roger asked. "I'm sure you want more than just one stuffed animal. I'll feel like your parents, if you know what I mean!"

"It's okay, it'll be alright. I'm hungry. I want to eat."

She wasn't sure where Sonic went, she suddenly realized. Did she leave him somewhere? Or did he…just somehow got up and walk away?

She was prepared to have them look for him (as much as she quickly wanted to get out of here), until she thought she could see blue, felt quills protruding from Lorena's large designer purse. He wasn't sure how he got there. But yet she didn't care. If he was with her, that was all she needed. She picked out her toy. Just get out of this store!

"Well, alright, darling. We are a little famished after our day of work, and I think a good helping of cake and ice cream will help. Maybe we can find out what you really want later. Maybe as a late birthday gift?"

She nodded quickly, gripping onto her lamb as tightly as she held Sonic. She felt like she couldn't let go of it until she knew the cashier had to scan it in order for her parents to pay for it. She let him pry it out of her hands, as she thought she saw those quills quiver a little inside her purse.

She thought she would quiver too as she stepped back out in the cold, rubbing her hands a little as they got inside the car. She was relieved when Roger turned the heater on, and also relieved that they were just going to go back home to have a dinner of cake.

"Oh dear, how did he get in here?" Lorena said, as she pulled out Sonic by his quills. He gazed at her with those still eyes, smiling with those stitches, as if he didn't mind being held like this.

Sonic was reunited in her arms with the lamb while Lorena looked deeper into her purse, and, with great surprise, pulled out yet another stuffed animal like a claw in those rigged crane machines she saw before they left the store.

It was a zebra, with its impeccable brown glass eyes and its stout tail with black brushy hair on the end and on its head and neck.

Zebras. Olesya's favorite animal.

"How did this get here too? Roger, do you remember me…taking this zebra? Am I a klepto and I took it without anyone, even me, knowing?"

Roger looked back at her, a little astonished. "No, I don't, Lorena. Schiza, do you remember taking this zebra? Tell me the truth."

She was surprised too, until she realized why Sonic was probably in her purse.

He took it. He stole the zebra from the store. He somehow escaped Schiza's grip and took it under everyone's nose. Anything for you, my princess…

"No, I didn't take it. I didn't even realize it was in her purse. In fact, can we take it back? And do it quick?"

Roger was already on the highway, and he felt it would be foolish to go through all this traffic just to return one little stuffed animal. He believed Schiza in not taking it. After all, she offered to take it back. Maybe they already paid for it and Lorena put it in her purse? His memory was getting older and faint, so he was sure that was what happened.

"Don't worry about it, Schiza. I'm sure we might've already paid for it. Besides, the traffic is horrible here today. I'm not going to go through it again just so we can return the zebra to the store. Besides, even I thought you needed more toys than that lamb!"

She already thought of the stuffed animals' names. The lamb would also be called Lucky. The zebra would be called Sneaky Pete.

Sonic was still for the rest of the night. She ate some really good red velvet cake that Lorena made especially for her, and they got her some cookie dough ice cream along with it. She ate it and forgot for a moment's notice about Sonic becoming sick and taking the zebra while they weren't looking. For a moment, she wanted to forget about it and remind herself that it was her birthday. She was eight now. She should be happy that she was a little older now.

As the time waned, she felt her eyelids becoming heavy, her yawning becoming more and more frequent, and by the time it was 9:30, she was exhausted.

She lurched up the stairs, her body feeling like lead as Roger and Lorena told her to have sweet dreams. She didn't see Sonic near her bed, ready to lull her to sleep. He didn't need to. He didn't even need to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight. Just covering herself with the blanket and putting her head on the pillow was enough to make her crash. And in a very short amount of time, she began to dream.

She didn't even see that Sonic was nowhere to be found, and there were some black feathers strewn around her room and out her door.


	26. Chapter 26

Schiza realized it was Sunday morning when she was awakened by the church bells ringing in a crisp, rich tune outside of her window. She stretched, she yawned, and upon her feet stepping on her floor she felt something peculiar that she knew wasn't originally in her room.

It was stuck to her foot like an adhesive, carefully picking it off of her skin. It shone in the sunlight like a black ribbon when she examined it, a dark blue like black feather that she instantly recognized in her dreams.

A crow's feather. One that seemed a little bluer than most crows she saw. In a drowsy daze she wondered how a crow somehow got into her room, until she caught on, almost in an instant flash as she thought of how a crow could fly through her windows, she realized what could've happened.

The dreams. The ones where Sonic suddenly transformed into a raven. Where she was drowning in that gray, opalescent water. Where he tried to protect her from those sticky, prodding fingers. Her dream last night where he tried to comfort her, but only scare her out of her wits when Sonic stared at her with those glowing ruby eyes, with that dark beak and with feathers all over his body, cawing in that turbulent, sinister caw that would've broke her windows and broke the sky.

"Sonic…turned into a crow. Is he really what I…think he is?"

She noticed more black feathers, interspersed all over her room. Some small black fluffs, some tall, thick feathers that seemed to come from his wings (if he had any, she thought). They all seemed to make a path, her door open, as if Sonic walked out of her room and to somewhere else. And she realized that she had to find him and see if he was okay. Maybe he was a monster, but he was still Sonic. The one who comforted her from all the terribleness her life seemed to offer. Not caring that she had socks on her feet, she burst out of the door (after stumbling a little as the hallway was smooth, slippery linoleum), tracing the path of feathers.

She noticed that it was completely quiet in the house, the only one who had to go anywhere was Lorena, while Roger took the opportunity to sleep late till the afternoon. She noticed the feathers on the hallway next to the stairs were still mostly untouched, the feathers scattered and blown away by the wind as she dashed to the small wooden steps. The steps would've seemed intimidating if it was dark, but she remembered the dream she had that involved this attic. She could see a few sunbeams rifting through as if there were windows inside. In that dream, where she and Sonic danced away that entire night, and she blew away the candle-like stars, there was a large window in the center that welcomed the moonlit night.

Sonic went inside the attic. But why? Because I would be scared of him? Were those dreams really true? Did he really turn into a crow?

And she realized if the dream told her that there would be light in the attic, then Sonic did indeed turn into some monster. She hesitated, then began to slowly step on each step, eventually going inside.

It was freezing inside, almost like she was in a refrigerator. She saw the particles dancing in the sunlight near the large cathedral glass window, the rays bouncing off of something big and black, like a dark, murky puddle. She felt her heart beating in her adam's apple, praying silently in her mind that that black puddle wasn't Sonic. Can't be. It can't be Sonic. It just can't be.

The light was strong, as it glared in her eyes, her shadow being overcast on a pile of things she recognized were for infants: a crib, some colorful plastic baby toys, some baby blankets with little lambs and lions and bears.

I will be the lion to that lamb, yes. I will protect that lamb.

And she kept wondering whether Sonic's mind was gone as well when he transformed.

She approached the blackness, her face being reflected like dark mirrors. She thought at first this blackness were scales, as if Sonic became a dragon, the same dragon that ate her mom and dad, until she reached out and felt them. It was soft and smooth, like Sonic's fur was before. They were black feathers. Crow feathers.

She tried to refrain from making a sound like screaming when the bundle of feathers suddenly stirred, seeing the beast stand up as much as he could in the small attic, seeing yellow, thin avian-like feet, with talons that were about as big as her head that gleamed in the light, and the vast wing that swiftly moved upwards, blocking the sunlight from her eyes and seeing thousands of images of herself in the feathers, shining much like a onyx. She covered her mouth to try to hush her gasp, as she saw a dark drabbed beak, with feathers that protruded from the beast's head like quills, and green jade eyes that she fondly still remembered. Sonic's eyes, when he was still a toy and a hedgehog. If it wasn't for his eyes, she could never guess what this beast was.

"Hello Schiza."

No terrifying caw broke out from his beak. He still had his voice, that gently told her a simple hello. She thought maybe he changed to this beast, but his mind was still there.

"Is that you…Sonic?" Her voice shook a little, as she was still scared, but hearing his voice again soothed her a little.

"Yes Schiza, unfortunately. Unfortunately this is me."

She breathed a sigh of relief, but she also shivered from the attic's cold. She could see her breath coming out in small ghostly-like wisps that reminded her of smoke when she said, "What happened, Sonic? How did you get this way? Why are you a crow now?"

"You're cold," he replied back. He noticed her shuddering from the autumn air. His feathers seemed to keep him warm, so he thought he would keep Schiza close to her as he could try to sum up what happened. His wing covered her tenderly as he pushed her close to his body. She felt better, a lot warmer, and she could tell that Sonic still didn't lose his kindness.

"I don't know what happened, Schiza. It all happened too fast last night. I remembered taking that stuffed animal for you because I thought you deserved more than one stuffed animal and…well, I suddenly started to grow feathers, then a beak, then my feet became crow feet, and…I realized I was turning into this monster, and I had to run somewhere away from you so you…wouldn't see me like this." He pushed her closer to his body, Schiza betwixt his neck and wing. "I'm real now, Schiza. I realized I was real when Lorena saw me. She screamed and told Roger that she's seen a ghost. And I had to go to the attic, where no one could find me. And slowly, I grew bigger wings and I grew in size, basically becoming a monster. I guess you have a monster in your attic now, Schiza. You loved me until I was real, and now I'm this hideous beast that you probably don't want to be with anymore. I didn't become a real hedgehog, Schiza. I became a crow, a real actual monster. Is that what I…really am, Schiza? I'm not an angel or ghost of some kind but a…monster?" He sighed, producing a small muttering caw. "You must leave me here by myself, Schiza. I can't protect you any longer looking like this. I don't want to, but I think I have no choice but to sit in this attic and…slowly die. And I don't know what you can do with my body, but…"

She broke him off by escaping his grasp and forcibly hugging his large, dark beak.

"No Sonic! No! I don't want you to die! Even if you're a monster, even if you're large and scary-looking, I'll still love you! You were always there for me, Sonic, when no one else could be there for me! You protected me from my parents, you kept me happy when I was with Renee, after all that I don't want you to die! Even if you're real and a monster I'll still love you!" She tried to reach for Sonic's head, but could only pet the front of his face as she still held onto it as if Sonic was going to die if she didn't let go. "I promise."

He hated that he was a bird. The only way birds could show affection was to nudge. He could no longer hug her, and he was close to crying as he tried to keep his tears inside.

"I love you too, Schiza. Remember when I said I would love you forever and always? I will, Schiza. I will love you forever and always, no matter what."

As he thought over his love for Schiza, he felt a new feeling he never felt when he was just a toy. He noticed his stomach was growling loudly, but he mostly ignored it until now.

"My stomach has been acting up since I turned into this thing. I don't know what that's about."

"Oh, that. Since you're real, you're going to get hungry once in a while. I'll get you something, if you want."

"Well…what are crows supposed to eat anyways? Don't they eat bird food?"

"No they don't, Sonic. They eat whatever they can get, mainly meat." She also heard that crows mostly ate roadkill, but she didn't want to feed him a bloodied carcass of a opossum by the side of the road. "I'll be back. I'm going to get you a sandwich."

Schiza felt her body being chilled as she was released from Sonic's feathered body. It felt so comforting near his body, as she felt warm and safe by his side. The feeling soon passed as the warm air of her house welcomed her, as she quickly went to the kitchen to make him a turkey sandwich.

The house was still quiet as she spread mayonnaise on the loaves of bread. It felt eerie, and she thought it was so silent that she could hear Sonic's breathing upstairs.

As she put several slices of turkey on one slice of bread, she began to wonder.

How was Sonic going to get away with hiding in the attic? Would Lorena and Roger hear him upstairs? He was real, after all. They could probably hear him moving about and cawing and talking. Were they going to one day discover him here? And think about killing him? Were they going to accept her explanation that he was actually a stuffed toy who looked like Sonic the hedgehog?

Was he really Sonic? Or was he actually some kind of shapeshifter? Like she thought before when she had her second dream of him turning into a raven. The trickster raven god in Indian folklore. But if that was who he really was, then what business did he have in protecting her?

She put cheese on another slice, and put the two halves together. She figured he would just like a regular turkey sandwich without lettuce and tomato and all. She never liked all those things in her sandwiches either. Niceties, she thought.

She began to think again when she headed back to the attic.

Was she actually involved in some kind of plot with all these Indian gods? Was she actually some kind of princess or queen to them? Or a chief woman, to be correct? If he really was this raven god, there had to be others. She heard of a coyote god that was a rival to this raven god. And she wondered if this very coyote god, Sonic thought was her…father, Jack.

She couldn't be ridiculous. She couldn't have those thoughts in her head. How silly of her. Sonic was Sonic, not involved in some kind of plot involving all these Indian gods and Sonic wasn't some kind of raven god. But the more she thought, the more she began to throw her theory that he was an angel out of her mind.

But she knew he was always an angel in her heart.

"Here Sonic, I brought you a turkey sandwich. I just put mayo, cheese, and a lot of turkey in it because I knew you probably didn't want lettuce or tomatoes in it."

He sniffed it, apprehended the fact that he probably never smelt turkey and cheese and mayo before. The turkey did had a bit of a weird, wet smell to him, but his stomach disrupted his thinking. He plucked the sandwich from Schiza's hands and devoured it almost entirely whole, barely tasting it as everything went down his gullet. But from what he tasted, he thought it tasted good, and he thought he wanted another, until he heard Roger's voice.

"Schiza, did you let a bird in the house? I see black feathers everywhere! Where are you, young lady?"

"Well…I guess I'll have to see you later Sonic. Will you try to be quiet when I'm gone?"

He wished he could smile again, to reassure her that everything was fine. But he couldn't. And he hated that too. "As quiet as a mouse, my little princess."

She felt sad when she left him alone in the attic. She felt as sad as when she killed the baby crow, purely to protect herself from her father. Leaving him alone by himself, while he had to deal with this freakish transformation. And to be completely quiet, to not utter a single sound while her family was here. He was going to know how Anne Frank felt, she thought.

She was back in her house, with Roger appearing a little frustrated with the sudden mess. But she wasn't scared. She dealt with much worse.

"Schiza, do you and Lorena know the meaning of all of these black feathers lying about? Are you keeping a bird from me or what?"

She wasn't sure of what excuse she could come up with, but after some thinking, she came up with an explanation. "A crow somehow got into our house and we had to chase it out so it would go back home. I chased it out myself. I'll pick up the feathers, don't worry."

Roger's brow lifted a little, thinking he finally had a sensible explanation. "I'm not sure what Lorena was on, but she came to me at 2 AM in the morning, telling me that she saw a ghost and it looked like a black angel. She was nearly frightened out of her wits, but I think she might've…just had a little too much wine I think. You pick up these feathers and I'll see if I can make you a good breakfast. Is that a deal?"

She nodded, beginning to notice that she was hungry too. Some eggs sounded good, and maybe she would try to give some to Sonic.

As soon as Roger left, some feathers scurrying near his feet, she looked up, seeing Sonic's glinting eyes, seeming lonely and dismal, as they looked out to her as she shut the attic door.

She tried to forget about it as she swept.


	27. Chapter 27

Her egg bled yellow yolk as she stabbed it with her fork, the golden liquid spreading everywhere on the plate. She kept the egg over the plate as she hovered over it to Sonic, dripping like sap, until he quickly culled it in his beak and briskly swallowed it. He didn't like it. He thought it was disgusting as it traveled down his gullet, but he knew he couldn't complain. Beggars can't be choosers, he reminded himself.

Roger wondered what she was doing with her plate when she only ate half of the eggs he made her. She said she wanted to eat it in her room, but Roger forbade it. So she had to wait until he left the kitchen and walked to the living room to watch the news. Then she stealthily took the plate and hid in the attic, where she continued to do this for the rest of the day, giving half of her food to Sonic, the beast in her attic. Lunch was yet another simplified turkey sandwich, but Sonic didn't mind. He ate it all. And dinner was ham steak with peas and mashed potatoes with chives sprinkled on it. He gladly ate the ham, but he couldn't figure out how to eat the peas and mashed potatoes. So Schiza snuck in some leftover cake from her birthday that was still in the fridge, and he enjoyed it thoroughly.

Roger and Lorena wondered why Schiza was spending so much time in the attic. They could tell she was sneaking in food to eat it there. Half of her food. It was very strange to the both of them, but they couldn't find any reason why Schiza would be doing this. Maybe she wanted to spend some of her time eating it alone while she froze in there? But before they could question her, she was in the attic again, with the door closed.

Roger told Lorena of how much of a mess Schiza's room and the hallway was this morning, with black feathers lining them. He told her of Schiza's excuse, that a crow managed to fly in the house and she chased it out, and it was probably molting.

Black feathers…a dark winged man I saw last night…Schiza hiding in the attic…Lorena thought as she was washing the dishes. She kept thinking, absentmindedly scrubbing a green square plate of the mashed potatoes and ham steak juices.

Her toy Sonic being in my purse…and the stuffed zebra…

The plate was completely clean, but she kept scrubbing.

Something strange is going on with that little Schiza. We were warned of that. When Miss Renee told her that she thought Sonic was real and…

Her hands came to a complete stop, dropping the plate in the sink with a loud CLANG.

My…My goodness…could this Sonic…could this toy actually be…

"Lorena, are you all right? I heard something in the kitchen, so I thought you…" Roger paused, seeing Lorena staring at her dishes, staring at her reflection in the green plate that looked back at her as if this person she was gazing at was a ghost.

"What's wrong, dear? Did you accidentally hurt yourself?"

"No," she said, her voice heavy and dark. "Roger, I think something…something is going on with our little girl."

"Well of course, my dear! She's been eating up in that frigid attic! I honestly don't know why she would be doing such a crazy thing!"

"Roger," she said emptily. "Do you remember what Miss Renee said about our little girl? That she thought she had an imaginary friend?"

"Well yes, but we gave her a good home! She should be happy and not pretending her stuffed animals can speak to her."

"I don't think it's that, darling. I think it's…more than that."

She didn't even need to turn around to hear Roger looking incredulous. "Do you think she's…what Miss Renee feared her to be?"

"No," she answered flatly. "I think her friend, Sonic, is actually…" She paused. "Real."

"What?" he exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Lorena, did you had a few too many again? First was the dark man, now…"

"No Roger." She turned around, Roger seeing that she was completely serious about her statement. "I actually didn't even have one glass. I didn't have a glass either when I saw the dark man. I think…" She gazed at the picture of Jesus on the wall next to the fridge, with a golden halo around his head.

"You think what, Lorena?"

"I think…an angel is watching our little Schiza. And he somehow took the form of her toy Sonic and comforting her through all her troubles. I don't think she's imagining this at all."

"Dear, you know that's ridiculous…"

"Is it?" She almost seemed to yell those two words. "Is it, Roger? You believe that God is capable of anything, right?"

"Well yes, but…"

"But he's actually performing a miracle to us, Roger. He's protecting Schiza. Somehow, one of his angels possessed that toy and is protecting her from all these bad times. I think he wants our little girl to believe again. He wants her to regain faith in faith, that he never forsake her, that he actually had very important plans for her. Do you think such a thing is too ridiculous to happen, Roger? He does work in mysterious ways, ways that we will never understand as long as the human race is still here. Do you agree, Roger?"

"I…" He sniffled, sounding as if he was crying. "I don't know, Lorena…while I'm religious, I'm quite logical too."

"But is love logical? Is the feeling that you have to protect someone logical? Is hate logical? Were the things that Schiza's parents did to her logical? Sometimes we do things that logic can't explain. And I'd imagine that God could do the same, as he created us in our image, is that correct? His son was as human as us, and despite what the Bible said, I believed he made the same mistakes we did. Whether the Bible says so or not, I believe God is a little human, and after he created Schiza and all these innocent children going through the same torture she did, I would think he would protect them, whether it'd be letting them go to his kingdom or giving them an angel to look out for them. Is that logical? You can say it probably isn't, but it would be the right damned thing to do."

Roger stood in silence, nearly in awe of Lorena's statement. "Then, what do you suppose we do about this? Should we go in the attic and see what Schiza is doing and see if the dark man is really there?"

Lorena turned on the faucet, washing her hands of the sticky grime from cleaning the dishes before she said, "I say we do that right now, to discover what's really going on with her. I don't think the attic would be a good place for her to eat anyways, and she knows it. There must be something going on."

Pagebreak

Even though Schiza was here, he felt melancholy. He knew that he was too big and not the right type of animal to play with her. He missed being a small hedgehog, able to give her affection and play all kinds of games with her. But in the course of a night, he became a giant beast, and he wondered if he would be this way forever. Forever to live in Schiza's attic, unable to spread his wings. He was simply a bird in a cage, the only joy it could do was sing, but even he couldn't do that, and he was incapable of chirping. He could only screech a horrifying caw that he never wanted Schiza to hear.

He sighed forlornly, as he gazed out of the large window, watching the many birds flickering through the trees.

"What's wrong, Sonic? Why do you look so sad?"

His eye glanced at her, Schiza thinking she could see her reflection in his pupil. "I hate being this way, Schiza. I hate being a monster. The only thing I can do is talk to you. I can't play with you, I have to stay here and be quiet when you're not around…I hate being this way, and I wished we could do something together."

He noticed the glaring cinnabar sun sinking in the horizon, Sonic even shivering at the thought of spending a very cold night in the attic, with only the moon to comfort him. He began to hide his face deep in his wings, as if in defeat.

She could feel her teeth starting to chatter as she let herself go of Sonic's warm feathers, examining the large window. It was tall, and seemed to shake as the autumn wind blew against it. It was a big window, but she thought even in a house like this it was a bit flimsy. She noticed two small black handles that might be able to open it. But she was too short. She couldn't reach it.

"Sonic, I have an idea. I'm going to let you fly out of here."

"Fly…out of here? I'm not sure if I can fly with these wings, but I guess it's worth a shot. Better than being cooped up here all day. But how are you going to open that window?"

"There's two handles at the sides. But I can't reach. You can help me by giving me a lift."

Sonic scooted near the large window, lowering his head and feathers. Schiza stepped on him lightly. No problem, Sonic thought. His head can easily lift her there.

He rose, Schiza getting higher up to the window, then when she was at the handle's level she firmly grasped them and used all her strength to open them, making a slight creak as the window burst open wind rushing in, blowing on Schiza's dress and Sonic's feathers, seeing the sun glowing in the woods and slowly becoming covered by the trees.

The sky had a ripple of white clouds near the sun, as it was a shade of indigo and slowly becoming a bright pink and yellow as the sun's radiance mixed in with the colors. It was gorgeous, and Sonic was going to fly in the sky, no longer in his cage.

Schiza crawled down from his head and onto his back, holding onto his silky feathers, careful to not cause him any pain.

"You're going to fly with me, Schiza? But it might be dangerous. What if I fall because I don't know how to fly?"

She smiled. "You're an angel, Sonic. All angels know how to fly."

He wanted to think he was an angel. But Schiza had faith in him. If he fell, Schiza would be safe anyways because he had himself to break her fall. And if he really could fly, why should he get all the fun?

He stepped back a few feet, the wind seeming to getting stronger. He thought he could see the many small animals hanging above the crib beginning to run faster, the tinkling of the music becoming fleet.

Baa baa black sheep

Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir

Three bags full

He eyed the sun, the tree's fingers beginning to grasp it little by little. He had to fly out of here before the sun was completely out of sight.

One for my master

One for my dame

One for the little boy

Who lives down the lane

His wings rose above his head, the wind ruffling them and Schiza's hair.

Baa baa black sheep

Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir

Three bags full

He gave a tremendous flap, making a dust cloud in the attic. He gave another, as Schiza continued to hear the music box's lullaby she thought she heard when she was a baby.

One for my master

One for my dame

One for the little girl

Who's about to fly away

He ran, noticeably not as fast as he knew he was capable of running when he was a hedgehog, but before he knew it, he was greeted by the evening air as he flapped his wings, and soared out of the window.

Schiza closed her eyes when they leaped out, but she didn't hear Sonic scream. She could feel the wind blowing on Sonic's feathers, on her dress, and her hair was drifting as the red ribbon she tied in her hair came loose, and it lofted in the air before flowing into the insides of the attic.

They were flying. She could see the mansion's yard below her, and all the roads and streets, with all the cars and the people looking small. She could see their eyes gazing upward and pointing with their fingers as Sonic flapped his wings and flew above them, creating a large overcast shadow in the shape that looked almost like a cross.

"We're flying, Sonic! We're flying! Look at all of those people! Look at the town and the streets below us! We're flying, Sonic!"

Sonic wished he could smile as Schiza laughed and hooted and hollered, the people only looking confused as they thought there was a little girl somewhere near them.

She thought she was so high up in the sky that she could touch the disc of the sun and the moon, both up in the sky. There were also the stars that shone like the ocean's waters in a moonlit night. She reached out and spread her hand across the sky, feeling the stars moving and rippling as her hand skidded across the water. She could've swore that she also saw many fish swimming in that night sky, thousands of carp racing towards the sinking sun looking at Sonic and the many other birds riding the breeze. She could see fading colors of orange, white, and black as the fish faded into the distance.

She felt the clouds as they flew, little puffs of cotton that were swirling around the moon like a helix. She thought it was amazing as the stars and clouds were being blown off Sonic's wings, his wings sparkling as he continued to flap and head towards the moon.

She could see an aura of silver surrounding the moon, shining brightly against the dark blue night sky. She saw the mountains that jutted above, looking like they had snow on their caps. She could see the footprints of when man walked on the moon, and the craters that dimpled it. For a moment she thought she could see the cow jumping over it, and the fiddle-playing cat and the dish and spoon preparing for their honeymoon.

It was not only an amazing sight, it was a beautiful sight. A sight that Schiza thought she would never see when she was trapped inside her parent's home. She remembered when Sonic and her laid down and gazed up at the stars, and now she truly knew how beautiful it all was. If only they could fly higher, into the rings of Saturn, into Mars, into the outer reaches of the Milky Way galaxy and walk among the stars. But she knew it would be impossible.

But she thought with Sonic here, ever since he came into her life, anything was possible.

Pagebreak

Schiza looked up at the silver coin moon as she kicked her feet while sitting on a tree branch. She was now on the large oak tree in St. Mary's Park, Sonic perched by her side. They were sitting back and enjoying the sound of the crickets chirping and watching the starlit night as they noticed constellations and the shooting stars that streaked in the sky.

"And that's Orion," Sonic said, as his wing touched his belt. "I think he was a great warrior in Greek times. And that's Taurus. See the horns?"

She knew it was past her bedtime, but she was having such a wonderful time with Sonic that she wanted this moment to never end. She could stay up all night just being with him, watching the stars and feeling the night breeze.

"The Greeks believed that all the warriors and creatures of legend were made into stars when the gods were pleased with them, and they've been here ever since, watching us."

"Sonic, do you think angels are made into stars?"

"Well, no. They're in heaven, way up there, aren't they?" he asked, facing her.

"Maybe. But I think all these stars are angels, looking back at us and watching over us and telling God what they see."

"I never thought of it that way before."

Sonic saw two colored lights coming to him as a blur, then slowly becoming clearer as they got near. Red and blue, flashing rapidly on the street and getting closer to the park.

"What are those?" He pointed to the colored lights until Schiza could see it was a police car, parking in the driveway.

"That's the police. They make sure no one is doing bad things in the town and cities." She saw that the lights were still dazzling them, as a woman wearing a badge came out of the car, along with two other people she seemed to recognize when they walked closer to her. One was wearing a muddy brown suit, the other wearing an elaborate dress.

"…Roger? Lorena?"

She saw even if he had a beak, Sonic glanced at her with a worried expression, knowing something was happening.

"Schiza, I think I had you out here too late. They were probably looking all over for you."

She knew the fun they were having was being brought to an end. But she knew it had to. Roger and Lorena loved her, and they were probably worried sick when they couldn't find her in the house. She began to grow guilty over having them think she ran away or was kidnapped.

"Get on my back. I'm going to let you down this tree and fly as fast as I can out of here. Don't worry about me, I know how to get back to the attic. You just let them know you're alright."

She climbed on his back again, and before she knew it, he dropped down out of the tree, putting Schiza safely on the ground and he began to fly away with a loud flapping of wings, gliding into the night until he faded away into the darkness.

"Schiza!" the policewoman called, as Roger and Lorena swiftly rushed towards her and gave her a big hug. She thought she couldn't breathe, with them hugging her so tightly and the smell of Lorena's shampoo and perfume clogging in her nostrils, but she let them huddle her as Lorena sobbed loudly, her gasping a "Thank God you're alright dear," that she could barely hear.

"Schiza, you had your parents worry sick about you! We looked all over the city trying to find you, and we were very close to putting an amber alert for you until we thought we saw you in that tree! Do you realize what can happen to little girls like you your age when they walk the city streets by themselves?"

She could only mutter a quiet "Yes ma'am," as they continued to hug and hold her tightly, Lorena still crying and gasping words that seemed unintelligible.

"It's very dangerous for girls like you to walk to the park by themselves! If you want to go to the park, you need to ask them permission, and they need to be with you at all times. Do you understand? Something could've happened to you, and they love you to death! We certainly didn't want a poor girl like you to be put up in yet another amber alert!"

Roger still seemed to be cool as he let go of Schiza, seeing his face looking serious and grave when she looked up. "And it's past your bedtime, young lady. From now on, we're locking every door in the house when you get home from school so you never sneak out. It may seem crazy, but we don't want anything like this to happen again! You're grounded from watching the television for three weeks, and don't even think about having a sweet for a whole entire month!"

She observed that Lorena started to calm down, her voice now audible through her sniffles. "D-Don't be so hard on her, dear…I'd say don't let her have any dessert for a week or two."

"Fine, no dessert for a week." She then saw his creases and brow softening up, and he hugged her again. "But Schiza, we're doing this because we love you, and we don't want to see you hurt or lost or even dead when you walk in the streets by yourself. You have to realize that you're too young to be here by yourself. You need to wait until you're older, because there will be people who will think of nothing but to take advantage of you because of your age."

She understood, and she hugged them back as the police woman let them back in her car and drove them back home.

Both Roger and Lorena tucked her into bed that night and kissed her, and told her that they loved her very much. (So much, she swore they thought about putting her arms in shackles so she couldn't escape from her bed.) Lorena gave her her stuffed sheep and zebra to sleep with that night, but she realized that her stuffed Sonic was gone.

"Where's Sonic, dear? I thought you always slept with him every night. I know how much you adore him…"

"I don't know, Lorena. I lost him. Right after my birthday, he disappeared somehow."

"Oh…I see," she replied. "Where do you think he could've gone to?"

She covered herself with her pink fluffy blankets. "I don't know that either."

Before she left, she thought she could hear her whispering, "I swore that the dark man…looked almost exactly like that Sonic…" as she shut the door gently.

And she realized after she left the park that she was very tired and welcomed sleep. She clasped Lucky and Sneaky Pete closely to her body, and fell into a deep sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

The night air chilled him as he walked out of the home. The sky was black and dark, no sign of any stars as he strolled down the road, the wind making his coat drift in the breeze. It rained earlier, and the leaves were moist and didn't crunch under his feet. The roads were slick, the lights being reflected on the surface. He was warned on the TV that drivers were to be cautious on the road, as they were slippery. There were already some wrecks on a highway down south of here. But he ignored those warnings, as he didn't had a car yet, and winter was coming, so he might as well wait on getting one for a while. Other than his coat, he was not well dressed for this weather. He only wore an Alice in Chains shirt with jeans, and his coat was only a leather jacket. It was the only jacket his new mother could afford, but he appreciated it. A light jacket was better than no jacket, he told himself.

A half hour passed before he was in the downtown district of Winona county. He recently got a girlfriend while he was out roaming the streets, named Camille. He thought she was a sweetheart, and pretty hot too. She wanted to meet him in a club in the downtown area and "hang out". He hated clubs, as he detested the idea of getting drunk and awkwardly dancing in a crowded place, but he didn't want to tell her his opinion of those places. He just told her he would meet her there at 8.

And it was 7:35. The club was still a ways off. He had to hurry.

Winona wasn't particularly busy this night. Of course it wasn't, he was going out to party on a Sunday night. He saw a few people walking into bars that weren't closed this night, cars roaming and stopping along the lanes. He basked in the warm glow of an amber streetlight as he waited for the electronic sign to say WALK. The lights were still green, so the cars rode on; their panes sparkled with little dots of rain in the lights.

The sign still had a red flashing DON'T WALK. He wanted the cars to hurry up and get out of the lane. He thought he would only have a few minutes to spare before he would get there on time. He was usually late for meetings and appointments and dates, but he told himself "not this time". Not this time.

There were people gathering near the tavern, talking about their job and life and kids. It was probably becoming busy because it was the only tavern open. But he heard it was also a place where kids were allowed to eat at the family side of the room. So that was probably why it wasn't closed down.

The last car drove away, the water splashing near the tires. The electronic sign finally had a white beacon of light that said WALK.

Finally he thought, as he prepared to walk through the glittering streets. People on the other side of the street noticed him and waved. He waved back, but wasn't in the mood for a nicety conversation. He began to briskly step his way to the other side. He told himself to hurry up.

But then he stopped.

He saw headlights coming nearer, and they were approaching. Fast. The lights above him were yellow, but this car seemed to be going at a speed of 90 mph. It was swerving too, on the account of the rainy streets.

"Get out of the way, kid! That driver is out of his mind! Move!" a man yelled at him. But he seemed to be deaf and blind as a deer near headlights, frozen in fear.

It only took 15 seconds for him for him to turn from standing to being a bloodied, broken mess.

The car collided with him, feeling his lungs, his stomach, nearly his entire body, becoming red hot with pain, feeling the force crushing him as if he was lying underneath an elephant. 10 seconds later, the car swerved over the curb and clashed into the side of a bricked building, the front of the car pounded to a wrinkled jarred face and the window shattering to small, fragmented pieces of glass, raining on the curb, the driver, and the teenager. An air bag was deployed, but the man's face was too cut up from the glass, bleeding from his jugular and face. It was futile, as he was bleeding to death, and he would soon be dead before help would arrive. But all he could see was a black void. He didn't even realize what happened.

The teenage boy could barely move. He knew his bones were shattered. He knew his organs were bleeding. His face was also cut from the explosion of glass. His breathing was bubbled, as he felt his lungs and mouth fill with blood.

He saw people surrounding him. He heard a man dialing his phone, calling 911. But he kept fading in and out of consciousness, as if he was drowning in a black sea. He couldn't think of anything else but the incredible amount of pain he was in. And he also knew even if the paramedics came, they would take him to the hospital too late. He knew he was going to die.

He felt as if an eternity passed as the ambulance and the paramedics came. There were some that examined the driver, and some that was coming to the boy. Even if he was slowly drifting away, he screamed as they took his body on the stretcher. But he couldn't think of any words to tell them to stop. Not even a no please.

But the pain soon numbed. He could feel himself becoming unconscious. Or he was dying. He knew he couldn't lie to himself.

They were bandaging his bloodied body, treating him, but it was useless to him. He could feel himself going away, to a place that only the deceased roamed.

"Boy, what's your name? Can you at least say your name?" the paramedic asked him, his face and all the other faces becoming a blurry mess of blobs. He wasn't sure who was talking to him. Maybe it was God.

"Klay…" His throat made his voice nearly inaudible, but the man knew what he said.

"My name is…Klay Barton."

The blurs began to fade, becoming darker, until he was in a void. His heart stopped, his breathing stopped, and his brain was shut down.

Klay Barton, an 18 year old man living with his adoptive mother, Renee Lancaster, died that night from a drunken driver. When the ambulance arrived, they were too late, and the driver was also dead by the time they arrived to the hospital.

Renee was sending to the children to bed. John was hyperactive that night, as Renee announced to him that he was going through the adoption process and would soon meet his new parents. She was very happy for him. Maybe he would be with a great family like Schiza's.

Her cell phone rang as soon as she shut the bedroom lights. It was a number she didn't recognize, but she answered.

"Hello? Who's this?"

"Hello Renee. I'm Dr. Binstein of St. Joseph's Hospital, and…I'm afraid I have…terrible news."

St. Joseph's Hospital. Oh God, this wasn't good. Not at all. "What happened?" she asked, her voice sounding grim.

"We have your son, Klay Barton, in the emergency room. He was walking in the streets an hour ago and a drunk driver collided with him. As soon as he arrived in the hospital…" He paused. "Renee, I'm sorry. Your son, Klay Barton, is dead."

The doctor could only hear dead silence, and he thought he could hear the sound that cell phones made when they were suddenly dropped.

Renee paid no attention to the doctor saying, "Hello? Renee? Are you still there?" She was utterly and completely broken, and she began to loudly sob.


	29. Chapter 29

It was morning again. The sun arrived like an evening rose, as the star-like dews faded away in the light. She could hear the songs of the birds as she rose, the light beckoning for her eyes to open.

It was a school day, she realized. She thought she didn't get enough sleep from the late night excursion with Sonic yesterday. But she paid it no mind and knew there was no excuse for her to show up late. She picked out her dress, a black velvety blouse that Roger and Lorena bought for her not too long ago. It reminded her of Olesya, that same dress she wore when she first met her was similar. And she was going to go back to that same school, without her there. Her heart was a little cracked since that day, but she thought Sonic made sure her heart wasn't broken at the thought of her moving away from her state.

She went downstairs, to the smell of crisp bacon frying away in the kitchen. Roger and Lorena were making breakfast again, but from the look of their faces when she entered the kitchen, something was wrong. Lorena's head was tucked next to a phone, her voice serious and with a tinge of sorrow, while Roger glanced at her with a morose expression, putting down his newspaper and never minding that his morning coffee was becoming cold. He didn't even mind that his article was featured in the paper today. He had something very grave to tell to Schiza.

"Schiza, I don't think you need to go to school today," he said, his voice similar to Lorena's: serious, hint of sadness.

And she knew when he announced this to her, something terrible must've really happened. "Why not? Did…did something happen at the school? Why do you look so sad?"

His expression did not change, except his eyes did not leave hers. "Schiza, something…happened last night, back at your old foster home. I hope you still remember Renee, your foster parent who allowed us to adopt you?"

She paused. "Yes, I do remember her. What happened? Did something happen to her?"

His eyes turned away, Schiza believing she could see a few tears dwelling up. "Well…Renee is on the phone right now, and she said she would like to talk to you. It's about one of your friends at the foster home. Something…happened to him."

Who? She thought. Maxwell? John? …Klay? They had to be specific! Who could they be talking about?

Lorena slowly lifted the phone between her head and shoulder and gave it to Schiza, who held it with both of her hands, listening intently to Renee's voice as she piped up, "Schiza?"

"Yes, Renee?"

She noticed there was something wrong with Renee's voice. She sounded almost dead. Zombielike. She sounded no different from someone who just crawled out of their grave with half of their brain rotted away.

"It's about…Klay. You remember Klay, right? He helped you when you were in the foster home."

"Yes, I do remember him. Did something happen to him?" She knew, however, from the sound of her voice, whatever happened to him was not good at all.

"Yes, Schiza…something happened to him." A pause. "After you left and it was his eighteenth birthday, I decided that I would gain custody of him. He became my son. But…something really did happen to him. Something very terrible. Schiza, my son, Klay, he…died last night. He was going to a club in downtown Winona and a drunk driver suddenly rammed him. He died as soon as he got to the hospital. He's…dead, Schiza."

She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Renee was playing a joke on her. Klay was still alive in the foster home. He was still there. He didn't disappear like so many people have done in her life. He was still there, ready to see her when they became adults and they would laugh about their memories in the foster home and Klay would have a family and maybe even a wife and kids. He wasn't gone.

"Renee…" She couldn't stop herself from sniffling. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"No Schiza…" Her voice sounded very deadpan, with no sense of emotion. "I'm not lying to you. I thought the doctor who called me last night was joking too. But he was a real doctor, and Klay really was there, dead. I was just as devastated as you were when you just heard me talking about how Klay was dead.

"I'm sorry to bring this news to you, Schiza. But you and Klay really had a special bond together, and I thought it would be right for me to tell you what just happened to him…"

"No!" she shouted in the phone. "No, it wasn't right for me to know! Klay isn't dead! You know he isn't! You're just playing a joke on me, Renee! I don't want you to joke about things like that! Please tell me he's okay!"

There was yet another pause on the other end, and Renee was still calm and dead when she said to her, "No Schiza, I would be lying to you if I said he was okay. He's not. He's dead. I can't really accept it either, Schiza. But eventually, we will. People do die, and it's a fact of life we can't and shouldn't change. And people can't shelter you from that fact. Everyone eventually dies, and it's something we at first can't accept, but we eventually do. I love Klay Schiza, but I wouldn't joke with you about his well-being. I'm sorry to tell you that he's dead, but he is. He's dead."

Schiza wanted to throw the phone across the room. She knew she was telling her a disgusting lie that she kept thinking was funny, reveling in her suffering and crying. But it wasn't true. Klay couldn't be dead. He was still there. He was probably hiding somewhere. He probably convinced Renee to tell her this cruel joke.

"I'm sorry, Renee…" she spoke at last. "But I have to go."

She ended the call and nearly slammed the phone on the table. She didn't even care on how hungry she was and how Lorena probably slaved over the stove to make really good bacon the way she liked them. She was now no longer in the mood to eat. She only wanted to talk to Sonic about how cruel Renee was to her. She ran up the stairs and into the attic, seeing Sonic's glowing green eyes greet her as she dashed deep into his feathery body and felt herself being covered by warmth as he hugged her.

"Schiza, I can tell you're really upset. What's wrong? Please tell me."

"Sonic…" She tried very hard to hold her tears. He couldn't see her cry. Not now. Not ever. "Renee…she told me…she told me…"

"What did she tell you, Schiza? What did Renee tell you?"

He hugged her deeper into his body. He thought she was going to cry. It was the last thing he ever wanted to see. To see her crying and broken when she was being abused. His heart would bleed if she cried.

Please don't cry, Schiza…whatever you do, please…

"She told me…that Klay is dead!" Her voice was beginning to wail. He could feel her gripping onto him tightly. Please, please, please…

"Schiza, don't cry. Please. It absolutely hurts me to see you cry."

"But…Sonic…" She tried very hard. But she felt that all of the tears she kept inside when she really didn't want Sonic to see her cry was being let loose. "Klay is dead. My friend, Klay…he's dead, and Olesya is gone, and I can't play with you anymore…"

She knew she couldn't hold them anymore. The tears began to fall. They were streaming down her face, and Sonic thought he could see all of them dripping down and onto the floor, scrutinizing every tear with such detail, with a solemn look on his face. Schiza thought he looked as if he disapproved of her crying.

"I'm sorry, Sonic!" she sobbed. "I'm sorry I'm crying! But I'm very sad right now! Klay died, you turned into a monster, Olesya is gone…I can't take it! I'm so sorry!"

He said nothing as she dove into his wings and began to cry on his feathers. Sonic saw each tear slide between them, like leaves in a rain storm, dripping of this sorrow. And he hated it. He wanted it to stop.

He felt his mind slowly fading as he kept seeing these tears. He could feel his mind buzzing in, like a radio with a lot of static, and he couldn't find a station that had a clear enough sound. He thought his eyes were burning too, with something that nearly felt like the infernos straight from Hell, but he couldn't scream no matter how much he wanted to. Everyone would find out, even if he was suffering. He felt his feathers slowly drifting away, as if he was melting and becoming nothing but a dark lumpy puddle.

Schiza glanced at him with full tears in her eyes. She wanted to know if Sonic would comfort her, try to make her happy like he always would do, but his face was still, the morning light reflecting off his phosphorescent amber eyes, his beak not even attempting to make an expression. She noticed that he was changing, and something was wrong.

"Sonic…your eyes…" She was hushed by a sudden movement of his wings, as he began to speak in an apathetic tone.

"Schiza…you do know why I want to protect you, right?"

The tears drifted from her eyes to her cheeks as she continued to look up to him. His wings covered her face, wiping away her tears.

"I love you, Schiza. You've always been my little girl ever since we met. A pretty girl like you shouldn't cry. You should be happy, and I don't want my lovely girl to cry. It hurts me to see you upset."

She felt something that she knew didn't feel like Sonic's beak and feathers. Something wet, and grimy. She wanted to tell him that something was wrong, this didn't seem right at all, but he continued to latch onto her tightly, deep into his body, and no matter how much she wanted to escape, thrashing and trying to push him away from her, his wings kept pushing her deep into his body, her face becoming dirty with this black muck that was dripping from Sonic's feathers.

He really was melting.

"Don't cry Schiza," he seemed to croon in a dark voice. "Everything is going to be okay. I don't want you so sad and upset. Let me sing you a song to cheer you up."

He hummed to a song she didn't recognize, and if he wasn't becoming a thick mat of sludge, it would've calmed her. It sounded as smooth as silk, but she thought he was going to suddenly croak like in her dreams. His droning voice was starting to crackle in a few places, sounding like low deep caws.

Black liquid was dripping from his face, long strands of it stretching and releasing a puddle on the floor. His eyes were changing from amber to a deep ginger orange, then to the red that reminded her of burning hot coals and flames that licked homes and burnt everything down to mere cinders.

She felt a strong thud resonating deep into his grasp, repeating and droning on endlessly. Her eyes shifted to something a deep shade of violet, a vivid almost black purple heart beating she could see through the sludge, pumping black blood into his body that she thought was causing him to think this way.

Her crying made him insane. This was why he never wanted her to cry. Whenever she felt deep sorrow, felt like she no longer wanted to live, it caused him great, unbearable pain that his mind couldn't register. Her sorrow was hurting him. She thought that he pitied her so much that it nearly killed him to try to make her happy, and here she was, crying, which she now knew was the same as driving a knife through him, and twisting it, making his heart wretch and bleed until he couldn't bleed anymore.

There was something wrong with his heart now, she thought. This is why Sonic wasn't letting go of her. He wanted her to go inside this dissolving body and try to fix what was wrong with him, like a mechanic fixing a broken machine. His engine was becoming dead, the electricity running through his body was becoming too much, and his programming was making him overheat and malfunction, and she had to go inside and fix him. Screw in the loose bolts, put the wires in the right place.

She couldn't see herself as a victim anymore. She had to do something, she realized. If she continued to cry about her sorrows Sonic was only going to die and she wasn't sure how she was going to explain these puddles that would eventually drip into the house. And she didn't want Sonic to die as well. She thought Klay was enough.

She pushed her hands through his body, feeling the disgusting sludge slip through her fingers and soon overtaking her arms, but she couldn't fuss on how her dress was becoming ruined. She pushed into the muck, her head going in and eventually her entire body was absorbed by him, as her eyes were met with pitch black darkness.

It was so dark that she couldn't see her arms, or anything else at all. She was afraid to venture on, as she felt herself going inside the vast unknown, but soon she was bathed in white light and she could see. She could see the yellow sun that had red streaks swirling inside it, like big gashes caused by a sharp knife, and a long stairway that spiraled into the sky, and she saw Sonic, with his blue fur and quills and green eyes and his smirk that she dearly missed. Sonic was still there. He was just malfunctioning.

"Hello there, Schiza. You remember me? Before I turned into that monster? Remember when I was a cuddly furball that loved to hug you back?" Even in this dire situation, he was being affectionate and joking with her.

"Sonic, what's going on with you? How did you turn into a monster? What…are you?"

He seemed to think for a while, as if he was deep in thought, scratching his head.

"I don't really know, Schiza. Even if you're deep inside my mind, I truly don't know what I am. But I must be something mystical, right? Because I can turn into a toy and a monster and all, right?"

"Sonic…" She looked deep into him, as if she could see what he truly was in his pupils. "I don't think you're a ghost. Or imaginary. I don't even think you're an angel anymore."

"Then what am I?"

"I really think you're actually a god, Sonic," she said.

"A god, huh? Well, if something like this is happening right now, then I think that's a pretty reasonable guess." He shrugged, never minding the question. "Schiza, I'm sorry I'm turning into a crazy puddle. I promised myself that I would never let you cry again, and to see you cry from a broken heart broke my heart too." He paused momentarily, his hand sliding her hair back. "But Schiza, through everything we've been through, I can tell you're a very bright, kind, strong little girl, and you survived so much and became stronger despite how horrible those things you've experienced. But there was something your father did that I want you to forget for the rest of your life. I never want you to go through your entire life being haunted for what he did to you. When you met me, I made you forget about those memories, and I hid them deep into my mind so I can experience the same pain you go through. But…" he stopped, his face becoming solemn.

"…But now I want you to come with me up these stairs, to the sun, and there we will take those two memories, as thin and as sharp as needles, away from the sun, and we're going to drop them into the moon at the bottom of the staircase, where they'll be forgotten entirely, forever. But these are very painful memories, but I swear, if we both deal with them and throw them into that moon, our hearts will become stronger. We'll realize that all those scary things in life aren't so scary anymore, because we know we can survive and get through this. But I can't carry you up these stairs. You have to follow me, and you have to keep going no matter how tired you get or you feel like giving up because we have so many stairs to go up. We will age, we will grow older, but we have to keep going, and we have to get stronger, no matter how sore our feet and body gets and how weak we feel. We have to keep going, and this isn't going to be easy at all. But we can do this, Schiza. You believe in me, and I believe in you too. You believe that I'm a god, capable of anything, and I believe you're a smart girl who can do anything she sets her mind on. We can do this."

She thought even a challenge such as this still wasn't going to wipe that smirk off his face. He grasped her hand, and they walked to the large spiraling staircase, which Schiza thought it looked like it was made from translucent crystals, almost seeming invisible if she didn't see a spectrum of colors reflecting off the light from the sun.

And as soon as they arrived, he let go of her hand, and they both began to walk the stairs together; Sonic in the lead and Schiza following him.

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She felt her knees burning up like fire as she climbed each step. Sonic told her that as soon as she got to a certain level in the staircase, she was becoming 9 years old. She thought she was a little taller, but there wasn't much of a change. Sonic looked no different, and showed no signs of slowing down as he continued to climb up.

She felt like crying on how much her feet hurt and she wanted to stop. They were only on the first level, but she felt her body burning up and she wanted to stop and take a break. But Sonic told her that she had to keep on going. No matter how much her feet hurt, even if they were getting bloody, she had to go on. Even if she tripped down a few steps and she was in pain, she had to go on.

She didn't want to do this anymore. Her feet was stinging badly. But she kept reminding herself that if she didn't get to the top, Sonic was going to die. So she continued on. Even if her feet was bleeding, even if she tripped and her body stung with pain, she had to go on.

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They were getting higher. Schiza was now 11 years old. Her hair grew longer and she was getting even taller. If her feet didn't hurt so bad, she would start running up these stairs and catching up with Sonic, who she noticed was still not changing. And he kept going up, although she could see some weariness in Sonic's eyes.

She felt a little confident in her steps taking until she felt herself slip, falling down a step or two, her body feeling bruised from her fall. And she hurt even more, her arms ringing with sharp pain and her feet feeling very tired and somewhat out of breath. But even if she fell, Sonic didn't come back for her. He walked.

"Sonic, you didn't come back for me! I thought we were doing this together!" she yelled, rubbing her shoulders trying to soothe herself.

"We have to keep walking, Schiza. I can't go back for you. We have to make it through this ourselves."

And no matter how much she was bruised and bloodied from her falls and steps, she continued to climb.

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She was 16 now. She was a lot taller, she noticed she grew breasts, and her hair covered half of her back. She felt no need for her shiny red ribbon, and she untied it and her hairflowed down, blowing in the wind as she walked. Her feet felt as if she was walking on sharp, hot glass, but no matter what, she continued to walk, and even if Sonic's quills were becoming feathers, they walked, even if she felt the sun's rays beat on her back and making her sweat and pant. She continued to walk.

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She was 21 now. Even if she thought she grew up to be a beautiful looking woman, Sonic paid no attention to her, his arms becoming wings and his feet becoming talons. His mouth was also getting hard and sharp, much like a raven's beak.

And she thought as they were climbing these stairs, she should have some conversation.

"Sonic, why is a raven like a writing desk?"

She noticed her voice was no longer quiet and shy. It sounded like velvet, and she was very surprised.

"I really don't know, Schiza. Why did your parents call you Schiza? That's something I don't even know."

She didn't know either, and she continued to walk, even if she thought her feet were turning into stubs.

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They were nearly there. She could feel the sun getting hotter, her feet stinging even more, and she felt herself becoming slower, but she was determined to get there, even if it took her entire life. And it seemed to. She was 50, her brown hair becoming silver and wrinkles beginning to develop in her face. Sonic was completely a raven now, hopping on each step. But he was struggling, as his feet were nearly too big for the steps, and his pace was becoming slower, and he was nearly out of breath with all this hopping. She wanted so much to help him, even if she was becoming an old lady. But Sonic kept telling her she couldn't, and no matter what, she couldn't come back and help him. He had to do it on his own.

She was getting ahead of Sonic now, and even if her heart told her to help him, she continued to walk.

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She was very old now, and she was nearly there. She could tell she was about 80, with wrinkles covering her face like cracks in the earth and her hair turning white, her teeth drifting away and her feet hurting so much, struggling to get up each step as if she was carrying a ball and chain around her legs, but she was almost there. She could see the needles in the sun. They were white and were probably causing the sun to have those wound marks on them. She could also see the moon below them, looking about as white as her hair and the craters reminding her of the many moles on her face.

Sonic was becoming very weak. He seemed very ancient, and struggling to lift his body on each step. His wings felt like lead, and after every step, he stopped for a few moments to catch his breath.

If she was right about Sonic becoming a god, a god that people barely worshipped nowadays, as the years pass by, gods like Sonic become weaker, as less and less people believed in his power and the influence he made on the people who did worship him. And as decades pass, and as a millennia passes by, these gods are soon completely forgotten, and they no longer have any power, as they no longer existed in the minds of men.

And there was a point where he completely stopped, thinking his body was going to collapse on itself. He felt his heart becoming weaker, and his breath getting shorter. He couldn't walk anymore. He was going to die if he went on.

"Sonic!" she yelled in a voice that reminded her of her grandma scolding her whenever she touched anything in her house. "What are you doing? You told me that no matter what, you would keep going. What's the matter with you? I thought you were stronger than that!"

"I…" he huffed. "I…can't…go on…I really think I'm going…to die if I…cross one more step…" He wanted to lie down and let himself die right there, but he didn't want to fall down all these flights of stairs.

"Sonic, just because you're an old coot now doesn't mean you should give up doing this! Come on, we're nearly there!"

"I don't know, Schiza." He was beginning to catch his breath. "I noticed that maybe you were…right about me being a god. As these years pass, less people believe in me, and I become weak and…powerless. I've grown so old that I cannot move even further. Go on without me, Schiza…you're much stronger than I am."

She put her hands on her hips in disapproval. "And a god is saying this! I'm just a mere mortal Sonic, and you're saying I'm stronger than you? That's no way to talk! Besides, I believe in you! I always believed in you, back when we first met! Now you move your little feet and keep on moving, we're almost there!"

As she took more steps upward, she could see Sonic was catching up. He was using all of his strength to jump up, and they continued to walk.

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Schiza made it, and she felt that her bones were now so weary they were almost like dust. She could tell she was about 100, and the wrinkles were deep, her hair was like a cotton ball, and even if she felt herself very out of breath as she took her last step, she knew she made it. She was face to face with the sun now, and she now had to wait for Sonic.

He was very big, but he felt exhausted as he lurched up the steps, but he kept going. Schiza didn't care that she was going for so long for him to come up here, but she hoped by the time he was here, she wasn't going to be dead.

"Come on, Sonic! You're almost there! Keep pushing yourself! Just a few more steps to go!"

And he did made it, as his huge talons leaped on the top of the stairs, and he thought he was going to pass out, but he didn't.

Now they saw the needles, the two thin spikes of light protruding from the sun. It was the final endurance test for her to go through before Sonic was fixed, she thought. But she felt if she could pass through 100 flights of stairs, she could do nearly anything.

"The needles, Schiza." His voice sounded very deep and old, but yet seemed wise, as if she was hearing an old sage speak with all of his wisdom. "We need to pull the needles, face these memories, drop the God forbidden things into the moon, and we have to drop down into it. We're going to forget all about this, but we will become strong, and we will know that no matter what issue we face, we can endure and outlast, no matter how old we get and no matter how much time and luck is against us. Now…we will pull these needles one by one, and drop them both into the moon. And no matter how…painful these memories are, we cannot cry and break down. We will not let your father win."

The sun was glaring against their eyes, but they could still plainly see these needles pricking the sun, making it bleed down into the moon. And she no longer wanted to see Sonic's consciousness bleed with these memories. She was determined to take them away and let him heal and soothe him, much like he did to her in the past.

Her fingers were careful to not let the needle prick them, and as she slowly took it out, she saw a brief flash of light, then an image of her father holding a black snake.

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"You've been a very terrible girl, Schiza," he said, his voice loud and carrying a lot of deep-seated anger. "You told your mommy that I touched you, when you know that's not true. It's wrong to make up lies and stories about people, you know that Schiza? Why would my own daughter come up with all these lies about me? Plain spanking you isn't going to do you any good, dear. I want to teach you that it's very wrong to make up lies about me."

Schiza, who looked to be about five, was glancing at him and this snake that he carried on his hands with great fear. She heard that some snakes were poisonous, and when they bit you, you might as well pray to God, because she knew if this snake did just that, she was going to die in front of her father.

Her father was insane, she realized. He thought that letting this black snake slither all over his own child's body, frozen in fear to not irritate the snake to inject her with its venom, was a good punishment to teach your child about lying. She realized that she could die right now, and her father would only lie about what happened to her. And she would be simply forgotten, probably even by her mother.

She wanted to cry, but she could not move. She was still as this snake glided over her body, examining his surroundings with its tongue, flickering in and out, seemingly oblivious to her fear.

She hated snakes. She really did thought they were just the devil incarnated into a limbless monster. She heard it was a snake who told Eve to bite into the forbidden fruit, and maybe she was so scared by this hideous thing that she went ahead and ate the apple. She knew very well that you can control people with fear. Her parents have been doing this for a long time.

This time, God seemed to be on her side. She felt the snake's body move away from her, down onto the floor and trying to escape into the vents below them. But this angered her father even more. He wanted to scare her, even have her die because she "lied" about him.

He tried to grab the snake again, but it thought it would have no part in this. It lunged and its fangs sank deeply into his skin, and they were sharp fangs, she saw. His arm dripped with deep red blood, and she could see even more rage transfixed in his face, but he knew he couldn't punish Schiza with this act of God, no matter how much she thought she somehow did this to him. He shouted to his wife to call 911, because he thought the snake he found in the house might be poisonous, and with a sharp whisper, he told Schiza to never tell anyone of this incident, or she really was going to be killed.

And she prayed so much that night that her so-called daddy was going to die, but they said the snake wasn't poisonous.

So much for calling this an act of God, she thought.

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She felt weak as she carried this sharp thread, feeling small jabs as she continued to hold onto it with all her strength, as she pulled out the next needle effortlessly.

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She was six years old, and her father was holding onto another snake, she thought. One that was flesh-colored and hairy. "Suck it," he said.

It looked so revolting to her, and she didn't want to play her father's games anymore.

"No."

"You're going to suck it no matter how much you don't want to. You might as well get down on your knees and do it. Or I will force you to."

She wanted to run away, open the door, and tell her mother that her father was making her suck his peepee, but she knew her father was going to get away with this like he always did. Her mother was insane too. But yet she said, "No."

And without a word, he firmly pushed her head below him, and she tried to keep her mouth closed, whatever she could do to not let him win, but as soon as she thought she was going to puke, he shoved it inside her mouth, and tears were beginning to blur in her eyes as she tasted it, a very putrid salty taste that made her feel even more ill, her stomach retching at the very feel of it.

And when he was satisfied and zipped his pants and left the door, telling her to never let her mother know, she puked, and thought she would never stop puking.

And she sobbed, feeling very disgusted with herself. She wished she could've done something. She wished she would've just punched him there and scream and cry on what he was trying to make her do. And her mother would see it, and her father would be gone.

But no, she had a disgusting taste she thought she could never wash away, and she puked the only lunch she had in two days, and her father once again got away with violating her. And she wished at that moment for God to let her die, because this was too much for her to bear, and she wished she was somewhere far away from her parents. She thought even being dead was better than this.

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Her wrinkled hands were bleeding. The needle pricked her deeply, but even when the blood was running down her arms, she realized that she was no longer there with her father and mother. They were gone. Her father was in jail for a long time, and her mother is repenting and trying to get help for what she did. But she knew she could easily live without knowing these awful things her father did to her. And it probably caused Sonic great suffering as well, knowing that his little princess was treated no more than a dog.

Her hands were shaking rapidly with these two threads in her hands, both from old age and shock. And even if opening her hands hurt her from her opening her bloody wounds, the needles fell and plunged into the moon, seeing them being absorbed like a pebble in water, and they were dissolved into the night sky.

And she no longer knew of that pain, and she never minded the gashes on her hands. She knew she could deal with this. The memories were gone now. Both her and Sonic could never be bothered with them again. And the pain seemed to fade, and it was like both her and Sonic could now deal with their old age, no matter how arthritic their bodies were and how close they were to their deathbed. Anything was better than reliving those demons that were sent back to the deep unconscious, back to the fiery hells that both of their minds only knew.

She held onto Sonic's body with her bony fingers, even if he was almost as large as the sun they were facing, and she said to him, "Sonic, let's go back to being young and you being a hedgehog and me being an 8 year old girl with a loving family and you watching over me. I think I had enough adventure for my tired old bones to deal with."

"I agree. I want to go back home."

She closed her eyes, and so did Sonic, as she tipped over the edge of the stairs with her back, and then they fell down into the night, Schiza's wrinkles fading, her hair becoming silver and long, then hazelnut, then deep brown, and she grew bigger then shorter till she was small and eight years old again, and as Sonic's feathers blew away and his beak became smaller and softer and he no longer had talons but now was wearing red and white striped sneakers again and was now blue and had quills, as they fell into the moon, swallowed by the night and darkness.

She was back in her attic. And she didn't know why she suddenly blacked out. She remembered something about Sonic having a violet heart and he was about to die, but now she saw him laying on the floor, all his feathers gone and no longer large and beast-like. He was a hedgehog again, and his eyes were shut, as if he was in a deep sleep.

She held Sonic's head as she approached him, seeing that he was breathing and blood was still pulsing through his body. He was alive, but probably tired.

And she didn't know how she was able to, maybe from divine intervention from somewhere she thought, but she carried Sonic's body, nearly cradling him in her arms, as she carefully took him out of the cold attic and into her warm bedroom, gently laying him in her bed, putting the covers over him, tucking him in, and kissing him on the nose.

"Goodnight Sonic. I love you. Sweet dreams."

And he slept soundly that morning.


	30. Chapter 30

He awoke, and he could feel his breathing becoming labored and his head so hot that he thought he could heat food with it like a stove. His nose seemed to be full of some gunk he didn't recognize, and he noticed it was too hard to slowly breathe with it. His face was as red as a ripe tomato, and he didn't felt like he was a blue hedgehog anymore. He didn't recognize what was this he felt, but he knew that he felt terrible and wished so much that he would be out of it. As soon as he felt like walking out of the bed, he was hit with a wave of freezing air that made him shiver to his shoes, so he stayed in the pink blankets. It felt too good to leave them anyways. He discerned that he couldn't walk anymore, as if his legs were reduced to that weird cubed jiggling stuff Schiza told him was called Jell-O.

As he lay back in the bed, he could only stare at these crudely painted white stars that were on her ceiling, recalling his recent dream. He believed his thoughts were fuzzy, as if he couldn't tell from reality and make believe, so he wasn't sure if what he experienced was truly a dream.

There was a lone white bird that flew in a pure black room, a room so black that he couldn't tell anything apart, that the black furniture would blend into it seamlessly and he would not be able to see it unless he ran into it. This bird and the brown wooden floor was all he could tell. It stuck out so clearly, the sliver of light that continued to struggle and flap in this darkness.

He came closer to this bird, seeing it was quite similar to him, with the beak and the tail feathers and the seemingly dark aura it carried with it, and he could suddenly realized it was an albino raven, as pure as bright snow in the clear morning, with ruby eyes and a pink pupil. It cawed, and then rapidly flapped its wings, when the room began to become aglow.

Green stars that illuminated as bright as burning magnesium, blue streaks of galaxies and deep purple gas drifting aimlessly and fogging this room, along with planets of many colors, many shapes, and many rings floating on the wall. Space and time was becoming alive, as if this white bird was God Himself.

The sun glared in his eyes as the crow seemed to burn, but it was not affecting it in the slightest. The white as clouds wings were becoming gray as if it was about to rain, then pure black, like a tornado or thunderstorm was becoming born. The crow no longer had ruby eyes, but only dark pupils, as it cawed back at him and flew from the galaxies and into an open window, flying away from its creations.

He wondered if the dream was trying to tell him something, but his mind was feverish and slightly delusional. He couldn't think of any reason why the dream was trying to tell him something that was going to make sense.

And he laid down again, his chest feeling as if it was tightened and he struggled to breathe. He felt tired even though he slept, and wanted to sleep again. But he couldn't get enough air inside him to relax. His nose dripped with some kind of fluid before Schiza came inside, examining him.

"Sonic, why do you look so…red? Are you okay?" she asked, very concerned.

"I…" He felt that talking was a struggle too. "I…I don't…know…" He wanted to wipe this fluid from his nose with his arm, but thought better of it. He wished there was something he could blow his nose on…

"Here," she said, as she appeared to give him a cardboard box with a floral pattern and a piece of soft paper sticking out. Schiza said they were tissues, and he took one and blew his nose, it becoming redder from irritation, but at least he could breathe a little better.

"I don't know what…this is Schiza…but I don't feel good."

She put the palm of her hand on his head, feeling the warmth it emanated. "What are you…doing, Schiza?"

She pulled away, her hand feeling burnt. "You're sick, Sonic. You need to lie down for a little while."

"Sick? Is that what I am?" She nodded. "Well, I don't think I really like this feeling of being sick. It doesn't feel good at all."

Schiza pushed him gently back into the bed, telling him that he needed to rest and that she would be back, as she was "getting something".

He thought again on the dream. He knew a few hours ago, he was a monster, and he was exactly the bird he saw in his dream: a crow. A large one that could probably swallow Schiza whole if he really wanted to.

He wondered why he was able to turn into this beast. He knew nothing about supposedly fast hedgehogs turning into birds. He also knew nothing about the stars except he somehow had some knowledge about constellations and planets. He noted that he was like a newborn in Schiza's world now, as he felt these new sensations that only Schiza and the other people in her life knew about. When he shifted from himself and a stuffed animal, he felt nothing but emotions, but not physical feelings, like hunger and sickness and his heart beating a little faster than usual when Schiza was around. He wasn't even aware of a heartbeat until now. It all felt very strange to him, being real.

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

He could still recite the story by heart, and he felt he was Real, but he certainly minded being sick. It felt terrible, and he wished Schiza would come back right now.

And she did. She had a washrag that was moist, the water dripping a little on her carpet. She placed it on his head and it felt very relieving, and his head was being cooled down as if it was an ice pack to a burn.

His nose was being stuffed again, and his breathing got worse. He felt himself fighting to get a good breath of air until he blew his nose again on another tissue. His nose was beginning to sting.

"Sonic…" Schiza quietly said, as she came closer and held his hand softly. "Are you going to…die?"

"Die?" he repeated, his voice sounding very nasally with the snot building back up. "When you get sick, you really can die?"

He could see tears building up in her eyes, and he wanted so badly to wipe them all away.

"Sonic!" she shouted, as she dived her head into his body. She didn't care she could catch his sickness. "I don't want you to die! I really, really don't want you to die! I love you so much, Sonic! I don't want you to be gone like Klay! And Olesya! Please, stay with me, and maybe we can play!"

He could feel wetness on his chest, but he didn't panic and tried to be rational and calm. He lifted his hand and wiped away her tears, as he slid her hair away from her eyes.

"Schiza, you don't have to worry about me dying, no matter what. I'll be okay, and you will be too. This is…just yet another challenge we have to go through, and I know we can do this. You're pretty, nice, and smart, no matter what anyone says, Schiza. You made me become real. You loved me until I was real, and when we get through this I can live my life being real, like the Rabbit did when the fairy made him into an actual rabbit with real fur instead of felt. I'm not a toy anymore Schiza, I'm…real."

"But if you're real Sonic, you can…die. And I don't want you to ever die. You helped me when no one else could. I love you, Sonic."

He couldn't help but smile a little as he looked into Schiza's eyes. "If I die, so be it, Schiza. I feel like I fulfilled a purpose when I met you. Not only did I become real, but you're with a loving family who will tend to your every need and help you, and they're more than willing to. If I die from this sickness Schiza, I will at least have the satisfaction that I helped you until you were happy, and you helped me until I was real. I love you too, Schiza. You're a very brave girl, and you need to always remember that."

She couldn't help herself. Even if Sonic needed to lie down again, she picked up Sonic's upper body and hugged him, as tight and as lovingly as she did when he was a stuffed animal. And Sonic felt so much love he thought his heart was about to burst and a very warm feeling was creeping up on him. He realized that this feeling of being hugged and to be tenderly held was a very good feeling, and he didn't want Schiza to let him go.

As Roger left the home and Lorena left to cleaning the kitchen, Schiza began to tend to him, as she talked to him about simple things like flowers and clouds and stars and galaxies, anything to get his mind off his illness. She left her room for a while to take the cold medicine away from her kitchen cabinet and a spoon. When Lorena asked her what she was doing, she simply answered the best she could, "Playing Doctor with one of my toys."

And when she returned to her room, she poured the ruby liquid onto the spoon, careful to not spill it as she held it up to the light.

"What's that stuff?" Sonic asked.

"It's medicine. It'll make you feel better."

Sonic looked at this liquid that looked similar to Jell-O and snot with caution. "Does it taste any good?"

She would only let him find out as she plunged the spoon into his mouth, Sonic feeling that this was the most disgusting thing he ever tasted. It tasted extremely bitter with some sort of nasty aftertaste that dared to call itself "cherry-flavored", and it was definitely not like a chocolate cake, he realized.

"Bleh! That tasted gross!" he exclaimed, as he stuck out his tongue and wanted so badly to wash out the taste.

"But it'll make you feel better, so stop complaining." She tried to make up for it by coming out of her room and coming back to give him an orange-yellow fluid to wipe out the taste, and it was very good and tasted sweet.

"Orange juice. It'll give you vitamin C."

"What's that?" he also asked, and she could only explain to him that it helped his body and it was good to take in many vitamins and minerals.

"Minerals? Like rocks and gems and stuff? Why would I eat a rock?"

She said it wasn't like that, but she felt she couldn't explain herself more.

Something strange is going on with that child, Lorena quietly thought to herself as she swept the floor. She could no longer focus on the little bits of food and trash that was on the linoleum. She could only think of why Schiza brought the whole bottle of cough syrup and a glass of orange juice in her room. Even if she was playing with a doll, she would be wise enough to not try to make it drink those things. I simply don't know what it is exactly she's doing up there. She went to the attic again when we told her Klay died. But she came back, in a little bit of a better mood, and now she's locked in her room again…I think it would be wise for her own mother to see how she's doing. She…might not be taking Klay's death well at all. Maybe she's just pretending to be happy. She looked a little…worried when I saw her.

She put the broom away and didn't care that the floor wasn't clean and was still covered with dirt and footprints. She had to investigate on what Schiza was doing upstairs.

Schiza had the large book of fairy tales she got from the bookstore when she first came to Roger and Lorena's home on her lap, as she told him the story of the Three Little Pigs, and she animatedly acted out each character, with a worried comical voice saying, "Not by the hairs of our chinny chin chins!" and a rough, jagged voice as jagged as she imagined the wolf's teeth would be as she shouted on how he would blow their houses down.

"So…why didn't they just build the houses out of brick in the first place? I mean, hay? Sticks? That's not very sturdy at all. No wonder why they look to the bigger brother. He was smart enough to build his house where a wind-blowing wolf couldn't blow it down."

"But these are fairy tales, Sonic. You can't really ask those kinds of questions in them."

"I suppose not," he said, as he pulled the pink blanket over his head, where she could only see his olive eyes.

"Tell the one about the girl in the hood who sees that wolf again. I don't know why, but I guess I like that story because the wolf got what he deserved."

"Little Red Riding Hood?" she queried.

"Yeah, that story."

And as she prepared to read it again, she jumped nearly an inch in the air as she saw Lorena open her door, examining her and her room.

"Is everything all right, Schiza? I saw that you began to take the cough syrup and a glass of orange juice up here for some reason…and now it seems like you aren't playing Doctor anymore. What's going on here?"

Sonic froze, trying to not move in his covers. She tried to direct Lorena's attention away from the bulge in her bed.

"I'm just reading up here, Lorena. There's really nothing to be worried about. Honest."

Lorena still looked concerned, as she pursed her lips and began to approach her bed.

"Schiza, I wanted to talk to you. I can tell you're a little stressed. About Klay's death, I mean."

She was about to make herself comfortable on Schiza's bed, right where Sonic's head laid.

"Lorena!" she suddenly began to yell. "Don't sit there! Please!"

But it was too late. Lorena sat on Sonic's face, in which he began to yelp a loud "Yow!" and he jerked his body away from her and out of the blankets. "My head is compressed enough already, lady! I don't need you to make it worse!"

Lorena could not believe what she was seeing. She saw Sonic, Schiza's toy, very much alive, with his blue fur and quills and his shining green eyes that gazed back at her with astonishment as he realized his error. Damn it, he reflected. Shouldn't have moved and even said anything to her.

"Schiza…" she seemed to gasp, as she continued to look at Sonic's blushed face. "Have I gone…insane? Is what I'm seeing…really real? I don't believe this!"

Schiza didn't know how to explain this at all; especially that she didn't know where Sonic came from and what he was in the first place. But she didn't want to tell Lorena that she was becoming crazy and hallucinating Sonic either, like she first thought when she met him. It would be cruel to convince her of that, she thought.

"Lorena, I really don't know how to explain this to you, but…you're actually not crazy. Sonic, my stuffed animal I had when you brought me in, is really real now and he actually always made me feel better when things got bad. If you don't believe me, you can touch him. He will feel very real to you."

Lorena only looked confused, but Schiza was very convincing to her, as she seemed very serious about what she said. And she had doubts that Sonic was actually a stuffed animal before, as if he was simply God's way to try to get Schiza to start believing again.

She turned to Sonic, as she put her hand over his head, and began to pet him.

Although his head felt very hot, his fur was very soft and very much like fur, and his quills did not prick her when she glided her hand over them. They were very smooth, and felt very much like hedgehog quills.

She continued to pet him a few times, to reassure herself that what she was feeling was real, and Sonic thought it felt good and she believed she could feel him purring a little bit. She couldn't help but give him a scritch behind his ears, in which he purred a little louder delightfully.

She continued to pet him with one hand, as she put her other hand on his chest where his heart lay. And she could feel it beating, as it ran a little faster, his very real blood running in his veins as he continued to purr while she pet him and scratched him on his head.

And she smiled as Sonic lovingly nudged her, like the same when you stroked a cat.

"Well, he does feel real Schiza, and he's very cute, that's for sure."

He would've protested to the "cute" statement, but she continued to pet and scritch him, and it felt too good to say anything. He never felt this before when Schiza petted him and scratched him behind the ears, and he felt like a dog that couldn't stop thumping his foot. He didn't want her to stop, and he didn't care if he was embarrassing himself a little.

Lorena had to stop caressing him however, to let him and Schiza explain to her their story. It was very complicated to her, and as they told her that they didn't know why either on how Sonic turned into a monstrous crow and where he came from, but Lorena felt the pieces of the events come together, as she now understood why Schiza was in the attic and who the dark man was that was walking around in the house that night. It was very unreal to her, but she began to believe again that maybe God possessed this toy to help Schiza, and she knew that God could do anything that logic couldn't explain.

"And this little dear is sick did you say, Schiza? Poor thing. But from looking at him, he seems to just have a bit of a head cold. Nothing too serious and I'm sure it's nothing some time, attention, and chicken noodle soup and 7-Up can't solve. I can cook some really good soup I learned to make when I worked at the daycare and the children with even the nastiest colds were able to drink it right up and feel better in the morning. Trust me, with me taking care of him, I'm sure he'll feel as good as new in about two days!" She ruffled Sonic's fur playfully. "I'm more than happy to help your little friend, but I could use some help around here though Schiza, but I'm sure little Sonic here won't mind us being gone for a bit. After all, we didn't take you to school today, so you have to do something, correct?"

And she agreed.

Schiza cleaned diligently and helped Lorena with the ingredients in her soup, the smell of cooked chicken wafting in the air that she wished Sonic could actually smell so he would know what it was like to know you were about to get a good meal, but she thought he would find out soon enough.

Roger arrived home moments later, wondering what has gotten into Schiza that she became a sobbing little girl into a cleaning and working machine. But what he was seeing was very good, he thought. Lorena was teaching her about the things she would eventually do when she was old enough to have responsibilities, and the earlier she learned it the better. He soon noticed that Lorena worked up a giant pot that he could tell smelled like chicken.

"Is this what we're having for supper tonight?" he asked.

"Yes dear. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all." He smiled. "I missed your chicken noodle soup. I was wondering when you would make it again."

And she couldn't help but smile a little too, and even if the dinner was simpler than usual, they all felt very close to each other as they sat at the table, discussing about work and why Schiza wanted to help Lorena (a made-up reason anyways, as she thought Roger wouldn't believe them when they said that Sonic was actually living this whole time), and they laughed and felt all their troubles melt away for a while, as if this chicken soup was suddenly bringing them together as a family. Schiza realized that she really felt like her adoptive parents were her real actual family that she always wanted when she was inside her parent's house, and she thought she couldn't ask for anything better than this. God answered her prayer, even if it seemed to take a very long time for Him to reassure her that things would work themselves out.

Schiza and Lorena returned to taking care of Sonic, as they gave him the soup he thought tasted much better than cake (which he was pleasantly surprised by). In fact, it was probably the greatest thing he ever tasted, and they also discussed things, very much like Schiza did when Roger was with them at the dinner table. And even if he was sick, he also laughed and felt his fear of being sick like this forever melt away too, and Schiza also felt very much that Sonic was always a part of her family, as soon as her friend gave him to her on her birthday. A big brother that watched over her and comforted her when she was scared, telling her there was nothing to be afraid of when the thunder rumbled in the skies.

Angel, ghost, hallucination, god, she didn't mind. Maybe one day she could show Sonic to Roger, and he would be accepted by Schiza's family too, and he could keep feeling the original thing that made him really alive and kept him going, even when his quills fell and they became feathers and he turned into something that he thought he couldn't protect Schiza anymore when he turned into a monster: love.

Even if Sonic didn't have his own hedgehog or crow family to run to when he became real, he really did feel that he was accepted in Schiza's life. And Schiza felt accepted by her family as well.

Pagebreak

It was night now. Schiza thinking she couldn't tell Roger about Sonic yet, as she knew she couldn't get away with sleeping somewhere else, she solved this predicament by huddling close to Sonic, and she immediately held him and clutched him close to her body, much like she did when he was a toy. And she fell asleep, his silky fur feeling as good as her blanket.

Sonic, though, was still up.

He stared at the moon seeping through the windows, its reflecting light shining on the floor, looking at the heavens and the stars. And he wondered that very night…

In the dream he had, featuring that white snowball raven…Schiza kept calling him an angel, and he wondered if this was what he really was. Was that his real home? God's kingdom? Nirvana? Mount Olympus? He wondered if he was really something as divine as an angel. He didn't really felt like it. He felt like a regular blue talking hedgehog, but he wondered if this was where he really came from. And he mused that night, asking himself if he was really some kind of angel who brought the humans the night sky, and made them enjoy the beautiful sights it had to offer. He loved seeing the moon and the sun and the stars. He thought they were the greatest gifts given to man, and if he didn't bring them the night sky, he had to thank whoever who did.

But he thought again on that dream, where the sun burnt the crow's feathers and turned them black, and it flew away, into the broad daylight, and it was not ashamed to show its new colors, however dark and grim they were. Could it be that he was some kind of bringer of the sky, that he was the one who showed humans how wonderful seeing some light in darkness really was and taught them to fully appreciate the other gods and their powers? He contemplated humans fumbling through the darkness every night for a very long time, waiting for some kind of light switch they could flicker on, and then he brought the humans the moon and stars, and he helped the Greek gods create the constellations and the seafaring men were able to sail home by following them.

And as he closely thought of all these things, he felt his eyelids lower, becoming very drowsy, and he felt himself fall into a deep sleep.

He dreamed, a dream he couldn't really remember now, until he suddenly heard a loud, but warm womanly voice in his head echo in his consciousness.

You have done your job well, Raven. You have helped this little girl to believe in our power again. But now that she is happy and has faith in the world, it is time for you to return to your home. You must leave this house tomorrow and learn who you really are.

Your real name is truly Raven. But you must find me to learn the rest.

I am very proud of you.

His eyes opened wide, and he wondered if Schiza heard this voice too. But she was fast asleep, still clutching Sonic tight to her.

Yes. Heaven. Deep into the kingdom, deep into Nirvana and Mount Olympus and where all the souls reincarnated to when karma blesses them.

He knew now that was where he truly belonged, and it was time for him to go back to his home.


	31. Chapter 31

Morning came, the red glow of the sun reaching his eyes, and he realized he still felt a little miserable. But his nose was beginning to clear up and his face wasn't so flushed anymore, not as red as the sun he was facing. He could breathe a little better, but he still couldn't take that deep breath like he always wanted to.

Schiza was asleep, still gripping onto him tightly, feeling his fur on her face. He could hear her muttering about something that seemed unintelligible to him, but when knowing it was the day of the week the people in this world called "Monday", he knew Schiza had to go to school today. He had to wake her up.

"Schiza," he said, gently shaking her from her dream. "You have to go to school today. You have to get up. C'mon, rise and shine."

She muttered again, letting go of Sonic as her eyes began to open, looking at him with her sleepy hazel eyes. "You…look a little better, Sonic…"

"I know, but you have to go to school, and I don't want you to be late. Pick out your clothes and go. Lorena will take care of me, don't worry. She said she would take a day off to look out for me. You have to go now."

Schiza understood this, as she got up from the bed and fought her tiredness to the dresser, where she picked out her new set of clothes and prepared to shower. She suddenly stopped before she opened her door, looking at Sonic again; her eyes no longer weary but actually seem to be full of caution and worry.

"Are you going to stay with us, Sonic?" she asked, her voice in such a quiet pitch Sonic's ears could almost barely catch it.

He wasn't sure on how she somehow read his mind of what he thought last night. And he wasn't sure on how he could explain what was going on in his head that he thought it would be good to leave. His voice choked a little, still a little nasally due to his nose being so stuffy, as he inquired, "Why would you ask that, Schiza? Do you think I'm going to leave, while I'm still sick?"

Her gaze didn't falter, and she still didn't reach for the door, even if she was going to be late for school if she didn't hurry. "I know Roger doesn't know about you yet, but maybe one day, he'll know, and we can be a family. You were always like a big brother to me, Sonic. Always. And I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay."

He knew he couldn't lie to her. It would be cruel to say he was going to stay when as soon as he got better he would have to go back home, even if he didn't exactly knew where home was.

"Schiza, I know I shouldn't lie to you…but as soon as I get better, I'm going to leave. I know you love me, Schiza, and I love you too, but you don't need me anymore. You have a loving family now and I think you're going to be very happy. But I want you to focus on your adoptive family than me. They're with you forever Schiza, and I'm not. I have to go as soon as I'm better, to some place where I truly belong. I'm sorry."

She could feel hot tears beginning to seep from her eyes, but she tried to keep them in. How could Sonic be so heartless, when she simply pleaded for him to stay with her and to be a family? Why was he going to leave her, after everything they've been through? She thought she could feel her heart breaking, little by little as if a hand was crushing it and letting it crumble like dust clods picked from the earth.

"No Sonic…I want you to stay here. I don't know why you have to go! Why can't we be a family? That's all I wanted! Just you with Roger and Lorena! I want you to stay!"

"But I'm not your parent, Schiza. I was considered as your temporary guardian while you were lost and alone. But you have your real family to be with. The truth is, Schiza, is that I have to go home. I don't know where exactly my home is at, but I have to find it, and I can't come back for a while, as much as I want to. This hurts me a lot too, but I can't…"

Sonic was abruptly cut off by Schiza, her face red with anger and sadness, shouting, "Your home is here, why can't you stay here! Klay is gone, Olesya's gone, and now you're gone! I just want you to stay here, that's all I ask, and you're willing to hurt my heart and go! That's what you're doing to me!"

She opened the door quickly, flipping to the other side and her eyes still locked firmly onto Sonic.

"I wished I can say we're not friends anymore Sonic, but that would hurt me too much to say that too."

She wanted to slam the door, but she knew she couldn't cause a commotion for Roger to investigate. She closed the door gently, scrambling down the stairs with tears streaming down her face, her hands trying to hide what she really felt to her parents. And when she went into the shower, she couldn't handle it and she broke down, weeping as loudly as when her parents punished her.

Sonic thought he could sense her tears as she cried, and while it made his heart wretch, he knew he had to go. No matter how much Schiza cried and begged and yelled, even if she grabbed his foot and she was dragging along with him like he saw once on the TV, he had to go home. He knew it was right in his heart to do so.

Schiza went to school that morning, but she could barely pay attention to any of her teachers. Their words fell nowhere near her ears and sounded like nothing but distant blubs and glugs. And when her English teacher asked her what was wrong, she couldn't answer, because she knew she wouldn't believe her. She could say that Sonic, her stuffed animal, was lost and she couldn't find him, but she felt it hurt her too much to even mention him. Even when she found the word supersonic in a book, she wanted to cry. It reminded her too much on Sonic leaving her.

She wanted him to stay. She wanted him to be a bigger brother, the little secret that her family held, the Indian in the cupboard, but he seemed to be set on leaving. But why? He was only hurting her! There was so much she thought she couldn't face, she wanted him to be with her forever, and she couldn't handle all these people walking away from her life, only leaving an imprint that she could only remember with guilt that she should've spent more time with them, because they were gone now.

She thought she was now going to hate Sonic for doing this, but she knew she couldn't hate him. She loved him far too much, and it probably hurt him too to leave she realized, but she couldn't help but feel desperate anger, anger she could understand when in those old movies the wives' husbands told them that they were going to go to war and that they might not come back. He wasn't going to a war, but he really might not come back, especially if he found his "home".

But at some point in people's lives, they had to go home. All angels eventually had to go back to heaven. She knew that was what Sonic really was: an angel who had to return back to God, as his mission, to protect Schiza from the rough times she experienced, was finished. And there was a point where the one being protected could fend for themselves, and they had to fly out of the nest.

She was beginning to understand Sonic's words a little, but her heart was still sick and sad, and she felt like crying again.

She arrived home from school, with a few homework assignments in her backpack. And when she focused on her math homework, she couldn't focus long enough to think of the answer to the problem. She couldn't even bring herself to even think about the question, to read the question over and over in her head. Who cares if Harry couldn't find the exact change for his purchase? This Harry didn't even exist as far as she knew, so why should she bother with these questions? Her mind was completely numb, numbed to the point where she thought the only thing she could think of was about Sonic and his impending leave. She couldn't do this homework. She might have as well crumbled this paper and threw it in the trash and just forgot about it, and she really wished she could choose that option. None of this mattered to her. She only wanted Sonic to stay, and everything would've been better.

She saw Lorena step down the stairs in the distance, then arriving in the kitchen and opening the fridge to open a container of orange juice and pouring a glass of it. She supposed Sonic asked for more. Ever since she gave him orange juice, he drank it like crazy, as if he was dying of thirst.

She felt Lorena's hand touch her on her shoulder gently, gripping it a little tight like a sympathetic hold as she asked, "Schiza, is something the matter? Is your schoolwork particular hard today?"

She looked at her paper. She could only see a few scratches made by the light tap of her pencil on it, and some scrawled answers she knew at the top of her head. Mr. Frank wasn't going to be happy with her, she thought.

"It's Sonic. He said he was going to leave. He doesn't want to be a family with us. I said he could stay and soon we could tell Roger, and he would be like my big brother. But he said he had to go home…"

Lorena nodded, understanding. "Sonic and I talked about this. I had a hunch it was about this."

"I don't want him to go," she said, her voice again quiet, but crackling and creaky like old withered floorboards. "He was there for me for so many times, and now he's going to leave me, when I have a lot to go through. I want him to stay with me for a little bit longer. Why can't he stay until I'm better?"

"Honey…" Both of her hands were now on her shoulders, lovingly squeezing them. "I think Sonic wants you to be not completely dependent on him. I know of some of the things you dealt with, and it's an awful lot. But Sonic told me that he knows you're strong, and that you don't really need him anymore. You have us now. You have a good home with a family who's willing to support and even die for you. Things are coming together in your life, and Sonic can't be there for you for all of your life. There are times when even God Himself knows someone He's been helping doesn't need His help anymore, or He knows they can make it through it, so He lets them go for a while. If you're right about Sonic being an angel, he knows you can face everything else by yourself now. The hard part is over. He has to let go."

"But Klay died, and Olesya's gone too…I just don't want him to be another friend gone. I miss too many people."

"He knows that, honey. That's why he tried to help you get through Olesya being gone by remembering that she will always be in your heart, and your memories of her will never fade. Same with Klay, and same with him. But he told me that it was important for him to leave. But he said he would try to come back to talk to you sometime. He said he loves you and he'll miss you too. Leaving is going to hurt him too."

She faced her, her eyes a little watery, but she tried to keep her composure.

"Will you help me with all of this, Lorena? I feel like it's a little too heavy for me to handle. You won't go away, will you?"

Lorena managed to smile, a smile that told Schiza I will be there for you. "No Schiza, I'll still be here. I'll help you with all that weight. Roger will too. We want to make sure you're healthy and happy, and we're willing to sacrifice everything for you. We love you Schiza. Very, very much."

Lorena embraced her, Schiza feeling her hair wrapping around her and the smell of her shampoo again, but she was a little happier. Her pain began to feel a little fainter.

Sonic could somehow sense this, and he smiled too.

When it was bedtime, she apologized to Sonic, but she could tell that he somehow knew that she didn't truly meant what she said, and once again as she fell asleep, she wrapped Sonic tightly with her arms, nuzzling him and feeling warm by his body, and she fell asleep.

Morning came again, as the birds roused him awake by singing their last songs before they left for the winter. He could relate to them, he thought. He had to go somewhere too.

He felt much better. His nose was beginning to loosen up, and he could finally breathe that deep breath. And he did, as he got up from the bed, prying Schiza's hands away from his body.

And instantly when she couldn't feel his warmth anymore, she awoke as well, and her tired eyes faced him as she said in a weak voice, "You're better now, Sonic…is it now time for you to go?"

Sonic inched closer, close enough that her hazy vision can see his mouth move and utter the words, "Yes Schiza. Today is the day I go."

Lorena was roused from her sleep too, when Sonic and Schiza rushed downstairs and out of the doors, hearing them creak open and her voice. She didn't care that she was still in her nightgown. She also rushed downstairs while telling Roger she had to go get something, and she also went outside, seeing Schiza facing Sonic as he prepared to run out into the Rochester city streets. The autumn air was especially chilly as it blew back her gown, but she could see the deep scarlet sun's light reaching them, along with the pink sky and the clouds that looked a little blue like Sonic's fur.

"Sonic, you're…not really going to go out there in Rochester by yourself, right? People will see you, and they'll wonder why they're seeing a blue hedgehog and you would be all over the news and…" Sonic's finger quieted her as he put it between her lips.

"I'm too fast for them to catch me, Schiza. I'll make sure the only people who know about me are you and Lorena, and…this lady that's been talking to me in my sleep."

"A lady?" she asked, her eyes widening. "What did she say, Sonic? What does she look like? Do you know?"

"I don't know what she looks like exactly, but she told me I had to go back home. Back to a place where I truly belong in this world."

"And where do you suppose you belong in, Sonic? Africa? Europe? Is that what you mean?"

"No, Lorena," she said solemnly. "I think he means Heaven. He wants to go back to Heaven, because I know deep down inside, he's an angel."

She nodded, knowing that Schiza's theory didn't sound crazy at all. "But how are you going to get to Heaven, Sonic? Do you have any idea?"

He shook his head. "No, but I have to find my place in this world, Lorena. I'm just simply a jigsaw piece, forgotten, but soon, I'll find my place, and maybe this world will look a little more beautiful, maybe become a great picture when everyone finds their places."

He walked towards Schiza, as he bended his knee to face her at eye level, and then he was holding onto her hand tightly, reminding Schiza of a man asking to be wed.

"Schiza, thanks for helping me find my place a little better. I will say it to you again, and I will never get tired of saying it to you a hundred times: you are a very brave, smart, and kind little girl, and life will just get better for you for now on. That's why I think you don't need me anymore. Even though I'd love to be accepted by your family as I know Lorena is a wonderful woman too, it's not where I belong, and I will spend a long time traveling the world to find my place. And Schiza, I promise that one day, I'll come back, and I'll tell you what my place was in this world. But for now…"

He let go of her hand, Schiza feeling something smooth between her fingers. She looked, and there was a translucent red marzipan that the sun was shining through, making it blossom almost like a ruby.

"You can eat it, Schiza, and no matter how gray your hair is or how your mind turns out in the older years, you will always remember me, and all the good times we shared. You will always remember that I love you, Schiza, and no matter how sad you are, you will always remind yourself that many people love you too, and they are willing to lend a hand or an ear if you need them."

He got closer, feeling his nose close to her face, when she suddenly grasped that Sonic kissed her on the forehead, and she could feel his tears and his heartbeat, noticing it was a little rapid.

"Goodbye, my little princess. Someday we will meet again, but until then…sayonara."

He turned around, Schiza catching his most notable features, his blue silky fur and his glistening green eyes, until she suddenly saw him disappear, seeing a little of his silhouette near the sun giving her a thumbs up until he was completely gone, as if the wind came and tuck him away somewhere deep in the sky.

She immediately began to taste the marzipan in her mouth when tears were erupting from her, and Lorena comforted her by holding her close to her body.

"He's gone now, Lorena…He's…gone…" she bubbled.

The only reply she could possibly use to calm her was, "I know he is, sweetie, but he'll return. I know he will. I know he will."

And she knew he would return. She deep down inside knew he would.


	32. Chapter 32

Her heart ached still, and was a little cracked still, at Sonic's disappearance. It's been weeks she noticed, and she heard no sign of him, no mention of him, and he hasn't returned. Although she remembered all the times she spent with Sonic with happiness and mirth, she still cried, because she thought those times were long gone and she was never going to be happy again.

Lorena talked to her many times about the loss of all of her friends: Olesya, Klay, and Sonic, most of all. Lorena was patient and kind, as she knew that Schiza was right now in the stages of grief, and eventually, she would accept that those times were not over, and she still had a family who deeply loved her. But for now, she had to cry and let all of her sorrow out.

She suffered in school. She could barely think about any of the subjects her teachers were trying to teach her. There were even times where she completely ditched doing her schoolwork and watched the window, waiting for Sonic's arrival. But she was always set up for disappointment. He didn't return. There was absolutely no sign of him anywhere.

She knew Sonic was fast, and it wouldn't take him weeks to travel the world. But maybe he was deeply contemplating his place, taking time to travel and to explore and to feel fulfilled. But she thought Sonic's place was here, in her home, and he should've stayed here and played with her. But her toys were untouched, there were no games or pretend time, except she pretended for him to be with her, but she thought she didn't had that good of an imagination.

She looked at Lucky and Sneaky Pete. They were the only remnants she had of Sonic. They both looked sad and mournful as well, as if they also missed Sonic, the lion that protected the lamb.

And she held both of them close to her and her tears were shed in their fur and fleece, and she slept with both of them every night, reminding herself of how soft Sonic's fur was when she slept close to him.

Roger knew of Schiza's plight, and talked to her, but she lied a little and said her heart was aching for only Olesya and Klay, and even not mentioning Sonic to him made her feel like she was betraying him, but Roger couldn't find out about him. Not yet, she thought.

Her eyes scanned the stars on the ceiling. She remembered the wish she made when Sonic took her up to the attic. She actually wished for her to be happy and to feel like she belonged in the world too, and she felt empty without him. She thought she was only an insignificant detail, something that God clearly forgot about, and she was as unforgettable as a piece of trash on the side of the roads.

No matter what anyone says, you're a brave, kind, and smart little girl.

Kind? Maybe. She wasn't to Sonic when he mentioned leaving to her. Smart? Hardly. Her grades were dropping, and she thought it was her intelligence that was to blame.

Brave?

No.

If she was brave, she wouldn't need to be protected all the time. And she felt naked without that protection. Eventually a wolf was going to find that lamb and tear it apart until it was a bloody carcass, and she knew that lamb was going to be her.

She looked back at the lamb's cerulean eyes, still looking morose and guilty.

Where's my guardian? Where's the lion? He said he would be here for me!

And she said to Lucky that she didn't know, and she hardly knew if he was going to come back.

Pagebreak

Morning came, and it was too difficult to get out of bed. She felt like her body was glued to it, and she so much wanted to stay and just watch the world go by without her. But she had to go to school. Roger and Lorena told her she couldn't avoid school because she felt this way. Didn't matter to her. She never did the work or listened to the teachers anyways. Everything there to her was a waste of time.

She no longer cared what she looked like. She picked out some random clothes and lurched her way to the showers.

When she was finished, she smelled breakfast being cooked, but she wasn't hungry at all and was no longer excited at the prospect of sunny side-up eggs. She would try to eat the best she could, but most of the time was spent poking her food with the fork as if it was some kind of unknown substance she never saw before.

But things were a little different. She saw Lorena with the phone again, while Roger was in his usual stance of reading the newspaper and drinking his morning coffee with toast. But he looked a little grave again. Something was happening.

As soon as went inside, Lorena faced her, holding the phone.

"Schiza dear, it's…Renee again. She wants to talk to you. She wants to know if you want to go to Klay's funeral."

And she thought she still couldn't accept that Klay was dead and was now going to be in a coffin, buried.

She handed her the phone, while hearing Renee's low, quiet voice. She sounded as if she was sobbing.

"Hello Renee," she said, feeling the same as her.

"Hello Schiza. I'm sorry about all these tough feelings you've been going through. I really am. But…" she sniffled. "…I was wondering if you wanted to go to Klay's funeral this Friday. It would be great if you could go. After all, you were like a little sister to him, and I think if he really…was some kind of spirit up there, an angel, he would love to know that you went and paid your respects. So many people that knew Klay are coming too. I would really, really appreciate it if you can come, Schiza…"

She still thought Klay was still around in the foster home, assisting Renee and beginning to feel like he had a real family, but she accepted and said that Roger and Lorena would come too.

"That's great Schiza. Thank you. I really appreciate it. You have so many nice clothes I bought you when you were back in the home, but I want you to wear the best dress you have and to look your best too. And I'm sure Roger and Lorena will too. I'm glad you have such great adoptive parents. I knew they were just right for you when I saw them." Schiza thought she could even hear her smiling on the other side.

"Have a good day, Schiza. I'll see you around on Friday. Again, I appreciate you coming. Thank you."

And she hung up, the other end now silent.

"So, will you go, Schiza?" Lorena asked. "I know you've been dealing with a lot, but I think she'd love to see you there. And I would think Klay would appreciate it too."

She tried to register the fact Klay is dead into her mind, but she still couldn't find herself believing it. "I'll go. I want you to go too. We'll all go."

Lorena nodded, and so did Roger. "Yes we will Schiza. Yes we will. I'm sure Renee would like to see us again. It's been…a long time, but she needs people right now, and she did us a favor by giving us the greatest gift we ever received: you. And we will return the favor, because she recently lost hers."

Pagebreak

Schiza was dressed just as well as when her older parents used to take her to church, wearing her black and white blouse and wearing a large, round hat even if the service was being held inside due to the snow that's been building up in Minnesota lately. Roger and Lorena were also wearing black: black suit, black dress with white cuffs. They thought it was appropriate.

The funeral was held in Elders Funeral Home in Winona County, and they were planning to bury him in the cemetery that was close to the foster home, so Renee could visit his grave.

They all put on a jacket as they walked to the car, the air flowing with drifting snowflakes. The snow looked as if it was enough to close school tomorrow, but she didn't mind if it was still open. She was beginning to try again in school, and she would try to do her late assignments.

She watched as the buildings strolled past her in the car, watching the snow gathering as the sky continued to shed. Roger and Lorena tried to make some conversation by telling her about their plans for Thanksgiving and for her to finally meet their whole family, but they might as well have said nothing. She couldn't find herself to listen that well as they drove past St. Mary's Park, reminding her of Sonic and her watching the night sky and looking at the constellations together.

The sun loomed over her, a white glare from the clouds overcrowding it. She hated winter. She could never see the sun or hear the birds chirp or watch the clouds not become lumpy mashed potatoes. But she had to keep her hopes up for Christmas at the first time in her new parent's home.

And then she felt her mind being completely void of thought as she continued to stare at the surroundings as they drove, until they were finally at Elders, back in Winona County.

The building looked more like a church than a regular funeral home. More like a castle, actually, one with a strange color scheme. It was a red that almost looked like a pink, with patches of vines overtaking some areas, but she thought the building looked strangely beautiful, a good place for the service to begin in. It looked even more mysterious with the forest behind it, the trees stripped of their leaves surrounding it with the pure white snow on the ground.

And she could hear some rooks cawing to each other as she went inside with the both of them, and it suddenly reminded her of Sonic. But she couldn't think of him now. This was for Klay.

Renee was right she thought as she went inside. So many people were inside that building, many people she didn't recognize. Some of them were teenagers, wearing their suits and dresses even if it didn't suit them, but she could tell they all did it for Klay, as they looked at an old photo of him on a wall.

It was him, looking young and apple cheeked, holding onto his favorite stuffed animal, Stripes the tiger. He was smiling very widely, as if he had no troubles in the world. There was a hand on his shoulder, a very big hand, and she thought it could've been his father's. But she didn't see a man that matched the hand when she walked around the home. She remembered his story on how his parents suddenly abandoned him when he was a child, leaving him to fend for himself. She was wondering to herself as she tried to search for an older man, why did they leave him, and why did they not appear at his own funeral? Did they suddenly thought their son was worth nothing, so they would rather have him die than to bring them with them back to their new home? Did they turn up missing? Did they die, and Klay never knew for all his life? If that wasn't the answer, then why weren't his mom and dad here, seeing that their own flesh and blood had died and mourning that they weren't good enough parents? It was very sad as she retold the story to herself, her parents once being supportive of Klay, then suddenly leaving him to fend for himself. And no one seemed to know why the sudden change of heart.

Roger and Lorena were talking to Renee, also wearing a black dress, but her hair was tied up and she still wore that amber stone around her neck, instead of her usual band t-shirts. Her eyes still looked swollen and tired as she watched the children that were currently in her home.

It was abruptly that Schiza saw a girl, looking to be about 15, with blonde hair and wearing a white skirt dress, talking to a darker-skinned woman who looked very professional, with her glasses and her hair tied up as well, and her dress looked nearly like a business suit, even if she was in a funeral.

"J-J-Jessica?"

Jessica still had that glare about her, but she actually gazed at Schiza, looking a little surprised. "Oh, it's you, Schiza. I remember you."

Schiza was astonished to see her here, after for so long, after she thought she would disappear from her life forever. And she was here to see Klay and to let Renee know she cared. She always knew she wasn't completely heartless.

"I haven't seen you in a while Jessica. What's the new foster home like?"

"Oh, you know. Kind of like yours, except with more people. Shanna always seems to keep me in line though."

And she could tell, with the tone of her voice and how she looked at the dark woman when she talked, that she wasn't as angry as when she saw her in the home. She still glared a little and looked as if she was holding her Styrofoam cup a little too tight, but she would prefer this Jessica than the one she saw in her past, the one that cussed, yelled, and slammed doors in front of Renee.

"Are you going to get adopted, Jessica? Do you know?"

She gripped her cup tighter, to the point where it looked it was going to be crushed, when she answered, "No, no one offered. Some kids got adopted, some were transferred. But I always stayed there. But...I don't know, maybe I'll be lucky like you Schiza. Maybe someone will adopt me, but the only thing I can really do is wait, no matter how stupid or how bored I get."

"What are you going to do on Thanksgiving?"

"Can you stop asking those questions, twerp! You know I have no fucking family!" she suddenly yelled, her voice clearly audible all through the home.

People immediately stared at her direction, but she seemed to be used to be given stares from outbursts such as these. She saw Roger, Lorena, and Renee rush towards her, but Schiza seemed to be unaffected, as if she was used to this kind of treatment.

"Young lady, you don't speak to my daughter like that! How about you be quiet and be respectful here? Someone you knew is dead for crying out loud!" Roger looked a little red in the face, his anger showing itself again as he gave a cold glance at her.

But Schiza seemed to be calm and collected as she pulled Jessica's sleeve, her glare broken.

"It's okay Jessica, maybe you can come over to my family's for Thanksgiving."

Then there was pure silence from everyone, as they looked towards them and realized that both of their faces relaxed, Jessica looking a little pale now.

"Wh-what did you say, twe-…"

"Really! I want you to be with Roger and Lorena this Thanksgiving! I want you to know what it's like to have a family, Jessica!"

"Now dear, I don't think we…" Lorena hushed him, as they continued to watch Jessica, her face now aghast.

"You…you…really mean that, Schiza? I can…I can…"

The words Schiza said repeated over in her head, her shock growing every time she would imagine her voice again and again. She felt like a patient hearing those words for the first time after she came back to her world, the comatose feeling wearing off.

"Yes, I mean it, Jessica! I want you to know what it's like to have a family! Please!"

Schiza saw a sudden transformation in her face. She was no longer glaring and looking tense. Her face was ashen white, giving her a look that was a kind look, a look of concern, as she held, then shook her tiny hands.

"S-sure I'd go to your family's. I'll take a day off from my foster home. I'm sure Sasha won't mind. At what time do I need to get a lift to Rochester?"

"3:30! We'll be going to Roger's side of the family, then to Lorena's! You can come with us!"

And not only did her face looked concerned and ghostly white, but Schiza could tell she was crying a little too, probably the first time in years.

"Okay. 3:30. I'll be there, Schiza. Th-thanks…"

It wasn't long before the room fell completely silent again, and they were assigned to sit in a metal folding chair in the main room, where she saw Klay's body, all the color being squeezed from him like Jessica's face while he had his hands folded on his body, and he had his matted stuffed animal, Stripes, with him in the casket. She thought that Klay told him that he no longer had his toy tiger. Maybe they found it and decided to let him be buried with it.

She saw the pastor talk about Klay's life, from his parents being parents he thought he could trust, then suddenly betrayed as they left him off to the streets, to the police officer finding him, to Renee taking care of him to his struggles with depression and recovering from his suicide attempt, which Schiza never truly knew that those were the demons he faced with as well. Then he described the night he died by the drunken driver, Klay turning 17 and feeling like he was going to have a real family. It left many of the people who came in tears, as they remembered all the good, fun times they had with Klay, and Schiza couldn't help but shed a few tears for him as well, as she remembered the days he helped her when she felt lonely and lost.

Many people spoke about him. She didn't know that he had so many friends outside the foster home who wanted to speak so much about him, who burst to tears when they reminisced about his jokes and his bright personality. Even his girlfriend talked in admiration for him, saying that she truly did love him and was utterly devastated when he was going to see her, the night that he died.

And then it was Renee's turn, as she wiped her tears with a tissue and got up to the podium, seeing his face yet again, except without the blood that was all over his mouth when she saw him on his deathbed in the hospital. Instead, he looked calm. Peaceful.

Her voice seemed to choke a little bit, her eyes stinging with tears as she prepared herself for her speech, clearing her throat a little.

"I knew Klay since he was six years old. He was a sad child, holding onto his tiger and looking a little disorientated when the police officer brought him in. He constantly asked me, 'Where's my mommy and daddy? I don't know where they are. Where's mommy? Where's daddy?' And the only thing I say to him is 'I don't know. But you're with me now.'

"I practically raised him. He had some issues growing up. He was depressed a lot and I'm pretty sure he had abandonment issues. I saw him one night trying to end his life. He said that no one loved him and no one cared if he died. And I said to him, 'I love you though, Klay. I would care if you died. You're practically my child. Life is going to get better. I don't know what happened to your parents, whether they decided to straight up abandon you or they suddenly went missing or died, that was in the past, and you're with me now. And I will try to be the best damn parent I can be.'

"And he thought I was. And he was happy for a while. He changed his personality drastically and became a guy with a bright outlook on things. But…when the doctor told me that he died that night, I was utterly devastated. My son was killed by a drunk driver and died on his way to the hospital. I couldn't believe it. I thought someone was playing a joke on me. But it was true. I rushed to the hospital and found his dead body. And that is something that your mind will never forget. Seeing your own child, dead, with all that blood on him."

She stopped, as she wiped more tears with her tissue, reimagining that day. She remembered it too much, nearly everyday.

"I had to accept he was dead though. It took a long time. There were days where I didn't even want to get out of my bed, but I had to watch everyone in the foster home. I'm still trying to come to terms with it, but then again, I don't think a mother will ever come fully to terms about their own child's death. It's absolutely shocking to have something like this happen to you and you're not completely right once it happens. I later joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving, but it still doesn't fill that hole in my heart. I can tell so many people about drunk driving, but I don't think I'll ever fill that hole. He's gone, and part of me is gone too.

"But on this day, I'll remember Klay as one of the biggest highlights of my life. I wanted to raise him as a good man, and for as long as he lived, he was a good man. That's the only thing I can comfort myself with, but then I remember he could've lived so much more. I was going to help him go to college to be a musician or a music teacher, and I'm sure he would've done his job well. But I will always remember Klay, that day he appeared at my doorstep with the police officer, asking where his mommy and daddy were. And for a while, I was his mommy, so it was kind of like I answered his question."

She left the podium, her face appearing stoic, but Schiza could tell the words she said affected her deeply, and everyone was in complete silence for the rest of the funeral.

His friends were then leaving, going out into the cold winter afternoon, leaving Renee inside, standing near Klay's casket, studying his face and wanting so much to hold his hand. Schiza said goodbye to Jessica, who for the first time in many years, smiled at her and said she would see her at Thanksgiving. But she stayed behind, even if Roger and Lorena were starting to head for the door.

She stood beside Renee, and she wanted to desperately make it all better for her. But losing a child you considered your son was a very hard pain to erase away, and she knew there wasn't much she could do. But even if she dismissed Sonic, she was in debt to her, as she just found her the perfect parents and took care of her so well when she was in the home.

"Renee?"

"Yes?" She turned around.

"I always thought you were a good foster parent. You gave me hope. You gave me Roger and Lorena. You gave me the greatest gifts I could ever ask for. You need to always remember that I love you too, okay?" And she gave her the tightest hug she could give, before she left with Roger and Lorena, back to their car.

Renee knew she would never get that piece of her heart back, but for a moment, she felt it whole again, when a child told her that she gave her the greatest gifts anyone could give to her. And she cried, for both Klay and for Schiza.


	33. Chapter 33

Many things began to change in the coming months. Schiza was trying hard in school again and managed to keep her grades up, and she was even beginning to gain some new friends. She didn't felt the same way she felt with Olesya with them, but she now had playmates when it was recess, and she was beginning to forget about the sadness she felt when she realized that Olesya was gone. But she was gaining back her vitality, her carefree nature, her joy, and she even felt like she was Sonic when she ran across the fields one day in the snow, running so much that her legs throbbed and tingled with pain, but her mind was now at ease for running her troubles away. If there wasn't a blizzard, she ran as far as she could in the snowy fields, not caring how cold she felt when the wind blew in her face and the snowflakes were gathering in her hair. She wanted to run, to feel and realize that she was free, and she wanted to hold onto it as much as she could and to relish it.

Schiza enjoyed Thanksgiving, and so did Jessica. While her parents at first thought she might bring some problems to their family, Schiza made sure that she felt welcomed.

She met both sides of the family, realizing that Roger and Lorena had quite a large one, and they descended from a line of successful people with Irish and Welsh roots. There was even a grandmother they both met who still spoke with a lucid Welsh accent, who would talk about her traveling journeys since she moved to America during WWII. Roger's family was heavily Irish and spoke of Irish fairytales to Schiza, tales she never heard before. And she couldn't grasp the number of how many cousins they had.

Jessica even spoke to both of their families, discussing not only her troubles in foster care, but also of her grandmother she only met a few times in the past who she knew was a Holocaust survivor. And her knowledge about the events in WWII surprised Schiza. She told them that her grandmother was one of the only people she believed she could trust, as she suffered greatly as well for very little reasons.

And she realized with that Thanksgiving dinner of how bright and how likable Jessica truly was when you made her feel like she was accepted and belonged. Both sides of their families greatly appreciated her and even asked if she wanted to come back next Thanksgiving. She said if she wasn't adopted and moved to a completely different city by then she would.

"Well twerp, I have to go back to the home, but I really appreciate you making me know what it's like to have a real family. Your parents actually seem like real good people and they have a great family if they even accepted me. You actually made me have faith in people again, like when I met my grandmother, so to have that feeling of trust again is…truly amazing."

"Do you want to come with us at Christmas? I don't want you to feel alone on that day, like I did when I was with my mom and dad."

She shook her head, but she could still catch a hint of a smile. "No, I can't Schiza. I don't want to impose on your family too much. But I would like to see them next Thanksgiving. Schiza, you really changed a lot of things in me. So did Sasha. And I'm glad you even had the balls to even say to me that I could come with your family. You have guts kid. But I'm sure you have them after the abuse you went through."

She still didn't like to think of those times in her past, but she agreed by nodding her head.

"Well, I'll see you later, Schiza. I hope you have a good Christmas, and maybe I'll see you next year. Thanks for having me."

And she went inside the home, and Schiza never saw her again.

She was adopted that next year.

A few weeks passed, and it was eventually December, then Christmas. Schiza awoke that morning knowing what waking up on Christmas morning truly felt like. She received so many toys that year! And she even received an actual tea set made from real china! Now she could have tea parties with her stuffed animals, but she was beginning to feel more and more that she didn't need to be so attached to her toys now that she was making actual friends in school. She even received many books from the both of them, including an encyclopedia that they encouraged she could look in every time she was curious about something.

But there was one present that she found in a red velvet stocking that she thought was better than all of the presents they gave her, or all of the presents in the world.

She looked up and saw something blue sticking in that stocking. It had a note attached to it with a handwriting that seemed scrawled and sloppy.

"Oh my, Schiza, we don't remember giving you that stocking…" Lorena said, as Schiza took it off the fireplace, examining it with curiousness that Alice from Adventures in Wonderland would say that she was feeling "curiouser and curiouser."

She reached inside, feeling this blue gift that was inside the stocking. She could feel it was made of a material that was similar to it, until she finally caught a glimpse of what this present was.

She pulled out, revealing a Sonic the hedgehog toy made from velveteen, and he looked really splendid.

His fur shined in the light and he felt so soft, much like Sonic did when he was alive. She could see some of his stitching, and he had green solid marbles for eyes. She thought he looked very similar to the velveteen rabbit in the story.

"I don't remember giving Schiza that. What's going on here?" Roger asked, until Lorena hushed him again, telling him that this was possibly a Christmas miracle that she thought only existed in television and movies.

Schiza looked at the note she tried to read with the scratchy handwriting, but the message was quite clear to her:

Meet me at the garden out at the back. I'm waiting for you.

Let's consider this a surprise visit from a longtime friend.

And she couldn't hide her smile. She knew who this was. He returned.

"Lorena, Sonic's back! Sonic's back!" She didn't care that Roger heard their secret. She was so surprised by this gift, so exhilarated that he finally returned, that she quickly put on her boots and coat and scarf and went out into the garden, Roger thoroughly confused until Lorena began to tell her the story of Sonic's existence.

She opened the door to the garden, seeing it dead once again due to the fallen snow. But when she saw her surprise, she couldn't contain herself. She grinned a wide smile and rushed towards him, catapulting him with a hug. "Sonic! Sonic! I knew you would return!"

And he was there, hugging her back, nuzzling and laughing. He was wearing a green scarf, but he was the same otherwise. Once again a blue, quilly, green-eyed hedgehog that somehow knew how to stand on two legs and wear gloves and shoes.

"Hello Schiza. I wasn't gone for too long, was I? I knew I had to come back for Christmas. Not only that, but I discovered who I truly was Schiza! I found my place! I found where I fit in!"

"You did?" she exclaimed, her chocolate eyes looking up at him. "What happened Sonic? Where did you find your place? Where did you go? What did you do? I want to know!"

"Schiza, you may not believe this, but…" He paused. "I'm actually…a god. A god from a long time ago. This isn't my real form. You remember when I turned into that monster? That monster was me, Schiza. I'm really a raven. Can you imagine that?"

Her eyes flashed when she looked at his face. And her face seemed to show an exclamation of "I knew it!" But she was still a little confused.

"But...I thought you were an angel, Sonic. One that always watched over me and protected me. Why aren't you an angel?"

"Oh, that," he said, scratching his nose. "Well, I'm actually going to turn into an angel, Schiza. I pleased the woman I heard in my head. She said I was going to be immortalized by the Greek gods."

She was even more perplexed. "What do you mean, Sonic? I didn't know the Greek gods were real…"

He held her a little away from his body, gazing at her closely. "They're real if you truly believe in them, Schiza. That's how all the gods work."

And then he explained his story.

Pagebreak

It was a long journey. He traveled from Minnesota to London. He found out he could freely shape from his crow form back to Sonic, as he flew to England. All the flying exhausted him, and he was resting on the very top of a church, watching the bell ring a sonorous thundering that was nearly as loud as the thunder growling in the distant, black as coal skies. It was raining heavily, as he grew long strands of feathers that didn't completely cover him, a beak that was still pale and soft, and his feet was tearing through his shoes, becoming clawed, and his tail grew a little long and decorated with dark blue feathers. He usually looked like this if he only needed to turn into a crow for a moment, such as getting down from the church's roof to come inside. He reverted back to being a hedgehog, his fur dripping wet.

Luckily, no one was around. It was about 1 AM, and he could somehow push open the doors without worrying about them being locked.

He could still hear the rain pounding on the roof as he examined the inside. There were many pews and colorful mosaic glass that reminded him a little of the kaleidoscopes that Schiza showed him back when he was with her. It formed a shape of a red cross, and he imagined it with three other crosses, making an exotic, but psychedelic image.

There was a statue of a woman, he assumed Mary, standing over him and the pews, as if she was going to give a speech. There was no one inside the church as far as he could see. Other than the rain, it was completely quiet, and no one wondered why a blue hedgehog was inside here.

But as he examined the church, he suddenly heard a booming, but yet kind female voice speaking to him.

It is you, Raven. I knew you would be here. Welcome.

He looked to the statue. He could say he was crazy, but he swore that the statue was talking to him.

"Uh…well, I came here because you said I had to. But what's with calling me Raven? Last I know of, my name was Sonic."

Since you came here, Raven, I will relate to your tale of who you really are, and what will happen to you in the forthcoming year. Yes, you identify yourself as Sonic, but that's not who you really are. You know you can change into a giant raven, is that correct?

"So…wait, you mean that…I'm…" he seemed to breathlessly gasp, astonished.

Correct, Raven. You are truly a god. An Indian god who is simply called Raven. You were the one that brought the night sky to the humans, and made the Indians believe in a powerful deity such as yourself. There are many other gods like you as well. We all coexist.

"But…people don't really believe in the Indian gods anymore, right? Then why do I exist? People just believe in God and all nowadays."

He could hear a brief laugh.

All of us exist, Raven, but only if you truly believe in them.

"Then why do I use this form all the time? When I first came to Schiza, I was like this. And she didn't believe in no Indian god when I came to her, that's for sure."

She prayed to God for you to be real, and He decided it would be good if He made you possess her toy, and you used the form of Sonic ever since. Until, of course, I made you turn into your real form when you disappointed me with stealing for her and making her father be punished like that. We wouldn't want a little girl to see a frightening form such as yourself. Using her toy is a much better option.

He digested all of this information, believing in what he truly was. Somehow, he was a god, which explained why he had all these powers that Schiza thought was magic.

I want you to return to Schiza someday, Raven. And maybe she can learn that there are many gods like you. She is aware of your powers, and she truly believed in you. I am organizing a great gathering of the gods on Christmas since it's the end of the year, and I want you to take her there and let her feel special. I've learned that Schiza is no ordinary human girl. She is aware of all of us. She is aware of these powers these humans call the paranormal. I wanted her to believe in all of this, and that we have all been watching her. At the end of the ceremony, you will become an angel, a star that will always watch over her, and the Greek gods will fabricate your star. You have pleased me, no, all of us, Raven. I underestimated you. Take her to the ceremony, let her be aware of us and the true power belief can hold, and you will change into an angel. I am proud of you, Raven. We will see you on Christmas morning.

And the statue was done speaking.

He absorbed more of this in. He felt as if he was let in on a great secret, knowing that there were so many other gods like him. But he wondered if God was real Himself, but he thought He was only real if people believed in Him.

And he rested in the church that night, and he stayed in London for a while before he had to migrate back to Minnesota. He liked it there, and he wanted to rest his wings before he had to fly a great distance again.

Pagebreak

"So…all these gods exist? And I'm invited to a great big ceremony?"

He smiled. "That's right."

She held his hands, squeezing them. "When are we going?"

"Right now."

She stood back as yet another transformation was overtaking Sonic. A great flash of light nearly blinded her eyes as she saw great, wide wings that were several feet long, and so white that it hurt her eyes to look at them for too long. They suddenly grew in a quick spurt, as a shower of feathers was dancing in the sky, like the snow that was drifting to the earth.

"So you're going to fly me there? To the great ceremony?"

He nodded, as he gripped Schiza's hands gingerly for a moment, mentally preparing himself to fly to the Heavens.

"I always believed you were an angel, Sonic. Right when you came to life, I always knew that God answered my prayer, and He sent down an angel to help me."

He nodded. "Hold on tight."

And she did, as Sonic suddenly lunged himself towards the skies, spiraling towards it.

She felt dizzy, almost to the point of being sick, as Sonic spun like a dancer, towards the clouds, towards the snow and rain factories in the sky. She thought he was going to take her to the stratosphere as they kept getting higher up in the sky, until, almost as a brief sudden flash of light that emitted from Sonic's wings, they were there.

The clouds were being dissected as they flowed towards a castle, seeing the head of it so high up in the sky she was afraid to look down. But it was very similar to the castles she would see in the Disney movies, with its color and the texture of the castle walls looking very similar to a pearl, a smooth and lustrous pink.

They went inside the door, which she thought was very peculiar as well, that also had her become "curiouser and curiouser". It had many drawings on it, looking very similar to the marks made on ancient walls by cavemen. This castle was probably very ancient she realized. It was here ever since the dawn of humankind, ever since they even thought of a concept of a god that was watching over them.

She could see the clouds drifting in the windows, maybe even seeing a glimpse of the lands below them. Sonic took her down many flights of steps, which looked translucent like crystals, before they arrived at a door that seemed to be made from some kind of a magical glass, one that made everything seem blurry on the other side, but yet have glowing inscriptions on them in all kinds of languages. She finally found the English one that said MEETING ROOM after going through nearly all the languages ever invented in the world.

"Now, Schiza," Sonic said, as he put both of his hands on her shoulders, making her look very closely at him. "I want you to feel special when we go to this ceremony. And I just know exactly how to do that. Close your eyes."

She closed them, as Sonic still kept holding onto her.

"Now, imagine yourself in the most beautiful dress you can ever imagine. It can be any kind of a dress you want it to be. Anything you desire. Just think about it for a moment."

And she thought over it, imagining herself in a dress that shone like crystal, brilliant white, with a crown endowed with many jewels, made with the most beautiful kind of silver imaginable. And she imagined it for a few moments, until Sonic said, "Now open your eyes."

And she was extremely amazed when she was suddenly wearing that same dress, and it did shine like crystals, and she did wear a crown made with silver and with many sapphires and rubies and emeralds embedded inside them, and she knew that in this world, anything you imagined came true.

"You're going to be the princess in the ceremony, Schiza. Because you are, and will always be, my little princess," he said with a smile, winking.

And she had a great urge to hug Sonic again, until he opened the great door that kept them out of the Meeting Room, and she became surprised again at all the deities that were there, ones that she could name, and ones that she didn't know of until now.

The Meeting Room was a great, vast white hall, and there were so many tables lined up for all of the gods that came there, with many bottles of all kinds of wine (mostly for the Greeks), punch for the ones who didn't wish to drink, foods she never saw before that catered to every god, and a large stage she assumed was where a speaker would talk about the happenings in the world. And she heard so many voices, ones that sounded friendly and ones that sounded beastly, as they all said in unison, "Welcome, Princess Schiza!"

And she thought she was on the very verge of tears. For one night, she was an actual princess, among all of these men, women, and creatures, and it was a very powerful feeling for her to take in. But she didn't want to cry in front of all of them. She swallowed her tears and said to them in a choked voice, "Hello".

Pagebreak

She talked to so many of these gods, some noble and brave, some vain and deceitful, some that were even on the evil side, but they knew not to mess with her, as they were going to greatly anger Raven and "The Messenger", maybe a god that Schiza didn't know sent messages to all of the gods here.

She talked with Odin, Horus, Ra, Shiva, Apollo…she talked with so many that if it wasn't for their outlandish and unique appearances, she would've quickly forgot about them.

Sonic was talking to Odin, with his ravens Hugin and Mugin, about his journey with Schiza and everything he experienced with her, while Hades and Brahma listened to him. Hades looked skeptical, while Brahma listened very closely.

"So you're no longer going to be some forgotten god but an angel to watch over her, huh? I saw a lot of changes in you, Raven. You actually changed…somehow. That doesn't happen to many gods. Some of us are just static, like statues and pictures, and that's what we always will be as long as the humans believe us to be like this. But I guess that Schiza girl had a very powerful belief in you," Odin said, as he sipped his mead.

"Well, she believed me to be just like Sonic. You know, the hedgehog that this Japanese guy made for a videogame? Well, it was like when I transformed into him, that was what I truly believed I was, and that was who I became. And I guess it paid off, because this Sonic guy is actually very…"

"He's a lot like you," Hades cut off. "You got to be an angel for her because you fell in love with a human. I know the schematics of your story. That's what happened with all the other stars. They fell in love with the human, which I really can't believe you just did."

"Well, why not? I think humans are mostly good. They're good right when they're born, right? When they're created?"

"Until they fall to temptation! The world will always tempt them, and they turn as heinous as Hades here! I'm sure Schiza won't be like this forever, she'll become sultry and greedy like most women I met!"

"But with that attitude, you will never meet a good woman or human. I kept a positive attitude, and I realized there were actually a lot of good humans out there. I met a lot of them in Schiza's life. You just simply have to give up your misogyny and your attitude or you'll never meet someone who might actually surprise you."

"But why are you keeping your appearance of that hedgehog? You're supposed to be a raven, like Hugin and Mugin! Be proud of who you are, a god!"

It was abruptly that Brahma quipped with, "But we cannot be that proud. We may be unlike humans, but we can also suffer, and we do have limitations too, despite what many believe. Raven, however, became more human than all of us, and to be like a human like Schiza and without our vanity, we clear our minds and we become more universal and more believed than ever. That is why Raven will be a star and will always be remembered by the lives he touched."

They were silent, and even Sonic was too.

He was too human for most of them. He began to love humans far too much. But it was always the compassionate, but yet vengeful gods who were remembered, such as the Christian God and even Brahma himself. He no longer cared for his powers. He thought if he could live and watch and protect Schiza for the rest of her years, he would be perfectly happy, and he wouldn't even care much if he wasn't in the higher rankings among all of them. They were too proud. He was proud too, but he wasn't proud of what he really was. All he knew was that he really did love Schiza, and he wouldn't mind if he was human himself, or if he lived among the humans. He thought he would be happier than being what he formerly was. Being a god was too depressing.

Schiza sat in their royal chairs, a chair she heard a god boast that they were made with the finest leather and carved by the best wood carvers, watching the other gods making casual conversation, some even beginning to dance, drifting on the floor elegantly. As she tuned into Sonic's conversations with a bearded man carrying two ravens on his shoulder and another that had three faces, four-arms, and was bronze skinned, she happened to hear something that Sonic never said to her: he fell in love with her. She helped him love humans. She knew that Sonic was different than all the other gods. If they didn't know that they were supposed to be polite to her, they would've surely scorned her, simply because she was a human. The Greek gods always seemed to be argumentative; always yelling at each other and looking like they wanted to pull someone's hair, while the Norse gods looked too proud and blamed humans far too much for all the problems in the world. She noticed that they were probably angry because they weren't as wide believed as they were in the past: they were simply stories to humans now, they didn't think at once "if I do this, I will be punished by Zeus!" Not anymore. If there wasn't any widespread folklore about them in textbooks and relics, they would be forgotten so easily. And they don't know what to do to fight back inside the imaginations of humans. If no one believed them, they couldn't do anything, and they would boast about how powerful they all were, but yet they were useless and fragile, fragile like their relics.

But she wondered why all these gods chose her, and only her, to know about their world, to know the schematics of myth and legend. Why did this messenger god chose an Indian god to help her, one that she learned everyone thought was inexperienced and foolish? She thought from the looks of things Sonic was a little out of place too, like this whole god business was a clique in high school. But he was too happy with Schiza. He could be ostracized from all of them, but if Schiza still loved him, that was all that truly mattered to him.

She looked up, as she saw a feminine hand outreached for her, and a beautiful woman with long, snow-like hair, and her dress was so bright she had to look away. It blazed like the sun.

"Hello, you must be the princess Schiza. I'm the sun goddess Amaterasu. Do you care to dance with me? I'm kind, don't worry, little one."

And she did look nice enough, she thought. She held her hand, and even if she was tiny compared to this goddess, they began to dance, swaying on the floor among the other gods.

Even if her dress hurt her eyes, Amaterasu complimented on how nice she seemed to step and move. She thought she was moving too good, too fluidly. Maybe when she came here she had some of the abilities of the gods. Maybe when any human arrived at this palace they were a god for a short while, able to do all these things perfectly and with ease. She realized when she talked to the other gods she wasn't scared at all and her voice was loud. Their powers seemed to make her confident too.

It was then that Amaterasu split with Schiza, and her hands were now held by Sonic again, him smiling at her. He was now dancing with her in this grand royal ball, like in her dream. Wearing this dress, seeing all these beautiful sculptures and paintings and how royal the room was, and Sonic was being so gentlemanly to her. Except it was more beautiful than it was in her dream, as some of the gods that watched her were in awe, and she thought she would cry in front of all of them when she was awarded a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers in the land, and her and Sonic took a bow amidst the applause. It was simply a moment she wished she could remember for all of her life, the day when a little girl gets her dream of being a princess for one day.

She would've never imagined any of this happening to her when she was abused by her parents. She thought she was going to be dead and forgotten, yet another statistic on child abuse. And she couldn't contain herself and she cried, as Sonic immediately hugged her close to his body.

"What's wrong Schiza? Is everything okay?"

Even though her eyes were moist with tears, she nodded. "I really am okay, Sonic. I'm just very happy. I would never think this day would've ever happened to me. Ever."

He nuzzled her, her feeling warm and a little more comforted. "I'm glad," he whispered to her.

It was 9:00 at night now, nearly Schiza's bedtime. Schiza was taken outside of the palace to see the night sky with Sonic. And it was a gorgeous sight she thought. There were millions of stars, all the constellations clear, and she could see the bright blue moon shining upon them and bathing them in the blue glow as Sonic began to face her.

"Schiza, I'm very glad I met you. I'm glad you made me realize who I was, and when I was nothing but a mere stuffed animal, you fulfilled your promise to me. You loved me until I was real Schiza, like in that story. That was why a god made you that velveteen version of me, so you can always have a remnant of me." He then crouched down to her.

"But it's time for me to fulfill my promise, Schiza. That I will always watch you and protect you, no matter what. It's time for me to go. But I'm very sure you'll remember me, and I'll always keep a lookout for you and make sure your life is a good and happy one.

"I love you, Schiza. You're a very brave, kind, and smart little girl, and I'm sure you'll go far. But before I go, I want you to make a wish. Any wish, and I'm sure we can arrange something for it to come true."

"Can I wish for you to stay with me?" she asked, looking closely in his eyes.

"It's alright Schiza, I will stay with you. Maybe not entirely physically, but I'll be there for you when you need me. You always told me that I was your guardian angel Schiza, but now at this moment, that is going to be true."

He kissed her on the forehead. "I will keep my end of the promise. I will be there for you, forever and always."

And she returned his kiss, on the nose. "And I love you too, Sonic. Forever and always too. Goodbye."

And before her very eyes, Sonic transformed back into a crow, not a large one, but one she knew was the normal size for crows, and he flew upward to the sky like a rocket, his black feathers being shed and dusting off of him, becoming a brilliant white like a dove, while his green eyes molded into a blue as the earth below them, and the crow flew far into the sky, near the end of the stratosphere.

And it was suddenly that she saw something flaring luminously in the sky, brighter than all the stars, and she could see it like a gem, that this white crow became a star, one that she thought looked a little blue when she gazed at it a little closer.

The shower of the black feathers covered her from head to toe, seeing pure darkness as they gathered, and then she was back in her bed, the blue moon outside of her window, the moonlight overcastting her.

It was still Christmas Eve she realized. It was all a crazy dream she had! Sonic didn't just come here and took her to a royal ball where she met all the gods in the world, did he? She didn't just danced with the sun goddess, danced with the raven god, and received that bouquet of all those beautiful flowers and saw Sonic turn into a star, did she?

Then she looked at the night sky, seeing that star blazing vividly, seeing a shade of cobalt light shining for her too, which confirmed everything that happened. Sonic really was an angel now, and he was going to watch her, and making sure that she felt loved forever and always too.

She smiled, and then covered herself in her blankets again, falling asleep.


	34. Epilogue

"Are you sure you want to go back there?" he said, turning to her for a brief moment before he realized he had to merge between traffic. "Are you sure you want to go back there? Back to that hellhole?"

"Yes. I do. I want to see how she's doing," she said, her voice calm. She knew this was a serious matter, but she was determined to see her. It was a long time since then. Maybe she could mend the split between the two of them.

"I don't know if this is a wise idea, dear. I mean, she's…you know why you've been taken away from her. Maybe she's all not right in there…"

"But I want to see her. I can't ignore her forever. I'm nervous about this too, but I feel like I'm obligated to this."

He looked at her in disbelief as they rolled up to the house, still unsure about this reunion. "Remember, you can leave her anytime you want. If she seems a little…out there…"

"I will, dad. But I prepared myself for this. I prepared for this ever since she got out."

He shook his head. "Get out if she gets hysterical, all right? You have no time to listen to her talk about the past like that. You had enough drama as it is in your past."

She nodded. "I know. I'll be back, dad."

She faced the home of her yesteryears. It looked a little cleaned up since then. No broken windows. It had a fresh coat of paint. It still had some trash in the yard though, some junk that she probably wanted the neighbors to take that piled up. Still, it was an improvement.

She noticed the door had a wreath that said, "Home is where the heart is." She groaned at the very mention of that.

She knocked on the door, waiting for her to come out and notice her. She thought she didn't want to stare at this wreath anymore when someone who barely looked like her mother arrived. Her skin made her look as if she was 80, with wrinkles and boils on her face, and she was very overweight now, her hair a little bit of a disheveled mess. She barely looked recognizable. But yet she scrutinized her at the door, incredulous. "S-Schiza? Is that…you?"

"Yes. It's me. It's been a long time, hasn't it, Roseanna?"

She noticed she no longer called her "mom". But in the past, she didn't deserve the title of her "mother". She was too fucked up to even be called that. "Come in, dear. I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you. Come in and maybe we can sit together and have a coffee or something…" She opened the door for her, while mumbling a little thinking she didn't need to say that, what if she didn't like coffee? she stressed. But Schiza tried to ignore it. She was considered mentally ill after all. She was never going to be the same.

"No, I don't like coffee, ma'am. Just sitting at the couch is fine, you don't have to go to the kitchen..." But Roseanne seemed to be in the middle of deciding to get her coffee or thinking if she herself needed coffee for this long talk. She paused, ambivalent and confused, until she said to her, "Please, Roseanne. I don't need coffee. Let's just go to the living room and sit."

The living room wasn't a pretty sight. There were many papers all over the floor, and many magazines and dust piled on her coffee table, along with faint brown coffee rings. There were two sofas, one that spanned around the room, covered with mossy hair that looked like cat fur, and one in front of the TV, where she assumed it was the only place she knew about the world outside. She was much like a mole, living underground for the rest of her life.

They both sat on the sofa, pausing for a moment as if they were thinking deeply on some kind of issue that was on the TV. The woman there was talking about abortion.

The woman, this woman that apparently was called her "mother", grabbed a cigarette that was hanging on one of the tables beside her, lit up, and she streamed smoke from her nostrils, beginning to have the stench of cigarette smoke hanging in the air to make the house's smell worse.

"I'm sorry dear, I've been so stressed out that I started smoking. I take Xanax now, but it's barely been working today, and I don't want to take a higher dose. I don't know why they put me on that drug. Doctors…" she grumbled, shaking her head. "So Schiza, what's been going on? I haven't seen you in years. Are your new parents taking care of you? Have you been doing well in school? What's going on with you? The TV is too boring these days; I need to know about your life so I know you're okay."

Schiza was very surprised on how…apathetic her mother seemed to be, really. She wondered if it was the medication, but it seemed like she didn't had a soul, like she didn't really care that she haven't seen her in six years. She continued to lay there, like an uncaring, lump of lard with a cigarette in her mouth, staring at the TV as she talked.

"Well, it's been six years since I saw you. You've been out of the hospital for two. I wanted to see what life has been like for you, Roseanne. What happened since you left the hospital?"

She gazed at her for a moment before she went back to the TV. She was beautiful now. Long chestnut hair, pretty chocolate eyes that bored into her, and she was looking a little tall, with some meat on her bones last time she saw her, six years ago. She realized she looked like shit.

"Taking a lot of medicine now, darling. Xanax, Effexor, Abilify, Klonopin…not to mention some blood pressure and heart medicines. The medicine made me gain a lot of weight. And I feel bloody miserable with all this weight, but the medicines help me a little at least, so there's that. What happened six years ago was a lot of shit to deal with, not gonna lie. But two years ago they thought I was good enough to go back home. The landlord decided to give me a second chance, but I'm pretty damn sure he ain't gonna like this mess. I might get evicted, but I wanted to move out of here anyways if my medicine didn't cost so damn much." She took another hit of tobacco, spewed smoke, and then continued.

"You know what happened to your father, Schiza? I heard a year ago he got beaten. To death. He's dead now. Good fucking riddance, I said."

And Schiza couldn't help but find herself agreeing with her.

"He tried to make up for what he did. He became a Christian. He said he was sorry. But sorry ain't fucking good enough, I say. Let him rot in Hell after what he did to me and you. The bastard doesn't deserve a second chance. Schiza, what's going on in your life? It's been six years! Something has got to be going on with you girl!"

Her mother was speaking to her very differently, she thought. As if her father made her talk and act a certain way too. What she was in the past...it was probably not a real image of herself.

"I'm graduating from middle school today and going to high school after summer. I think I want to study biology. Especially marine biology. Maybe something to do with mammals too."

Roseanne laughed, a hearty, but choking kind of heave that resembled somewhat of a laugh. "You always loved animals, don't you Schiza? You always liked stuffed animals. Especially that Sonic. Last time I saw you, you had that Sonic toy with you, even if the social workers pulled you away and tried to talk to you about what happened." She didn't mention the blood. Or her raving when she was being taken away. They were too painful to remember.

She looked at the stairs. They still had a faint tinge of red. Sonic's blood. But of course, she wouldn't believe her if she told her how she got covered in blood.

She rubbed the cigarette down in the ashtray, coughing grotesquely. It was hideous to hear. She thought she was going to cough up her heart and lungs.

"Maybe I should take you out sometime, Schiza. Try to reconnect lost ties. To be honest, I thought I was never going to see you again, and the police told me I might never see you again. But it's nice to see how you are, dear. Is that your father back there? The gray haired man? He looks a little old, but he must be a good man, waiting there so patiently for you. Maybe I'll take you out to Pizza Hut or something, how about that? I can still drive, but my car is pretty shitty, but I'll see what I can do."

Schiza stood up from the sofa, shaking her flabby, beastly hands. "I appreciate seeing you, Roseanne. Maybe we should set a date so we can see each other again. But maybe not Pizza Hut, we don't want your heart to get clogged up."

"Oh, it's fine!" she rasped. "I'll just get a salad while you get a small pizza or something, hun. But it's nice to see you again, dear. Very nice. You should hurry up and go back to your father. He seems to be busy today. What does he do?"

"Oh, he's a freelance writer. I'll see you Roseanne. Please take care of yourself. Be sure to take your medicine."

"Oh I will, dear." She led her out the door, and she thought that Schiza just seemed to want to get out of the house as fast as she could. She wasn't sure if it was just the memories or her. "See ya un! I'll pick you up Friday, how does that sound?"

"Yes, Friday's good!" she said hurriedly. "Goodbye, Roseanne!" She got in her father's car and quickly slammed the door.

When they drove out of her driveway, she wanted to forlornly shout to her that she didn't mean those things she said and she didn't mean all those things she did. But it was too late before she could ever muster the courage to even say anything to her regarding the abuse she made her go through.

Maybe next time, she thought. Maybe next time I can truly apologize to her. Unless she's willing to not forgive me like her rat bastard father. Maybe she isn't. Goddamn it, why don't I just put a bullet in my brain?

A few minutes passed before they said a word to each other in the car.

"So, how was it?"

"She didn't seem to care. She knew I was there, but she didn't really care. She told me I could meet her again at a Pizza Hut this Friday, but she doesn't seem to care outside much of that."

He glanced in the mirror, her reflection casting off, her face worried and concerned.

"Maybe she'll say sorry one day to you. Those memories are probably too painful for her to dig up right now. Just give her some time."

"But isn't six years enough to prepare yourself to say at least 'I'm sorry'? Isn't six years enough for her to act like she cares?"

"Sometimes six years still isn't enough for some people. Maybe if you give her a little more time, she'll come around. She was probably too shocked to see you. She didn't expect to see you after all those years. Give her some time on Friday."

She felt time was running out for her, but she'll give her a little more. Maybe one of these days, she would redeem herself. But she was in her own little world in that house, too fucked up to even notice someone was going to visit her. Too doped up on her pills. Maybe her doctors would make changes. Maybe enough blood would be running in her brain on Friday. She hoped something would change. Something would change enough for her to say how sorry she was.

The next day, she was dead. Doctors found it was from an overdose of Xanax. When Schiza heard what happened, she knew it was her way to say "I'm sorry" for her. The grief of seeing her and the memories were too much to bear, so she killed herself.

Schiza knew it was a very sad situation. And she apparently didn't see the rest of the house. Her landlord was too forgiving. She heard the whole house was basically so dirty and disgusting that it was destroyed. She watched it go down that night. It now looked like a ruin in a wasteland, with its desecrated boards, dust, and trash all over her childhood home. Some of the trash began to be blown into the wind, as nothing from her past was saved. The whips, the stairs where Sonic bled, her room where she was locked in with the Bible, it all vanished that night, as she heard the humming of the machines ring in her ears, her home now nothing but debris and waste.

And she thought it was a little ironic. As she managed her past, now it was being torn down, long forgotten in history and the tides of time. No one was going to remember her mother except her. No one was going to remember this house. It was dead now. Both her parents were dead. But even if she didn't feel one hint of sadness with her father, she felt sorry for her mother. Even if she was upset with her not apologizing, killing herself was too much. Way too much.

She went to her funeral and paid her respects. She talked about all the good times of her mother and not the bad so much. She didn't deny her past, but she recognized her mother was truly wrought with guilt and truly suffered for what happened. She didn't find herself crying when they spread her ashes on her favorite place, a stream somewhere in Winona, but she regretted not staying there long enough, not telling her that she loved her, but it was far too late.

But she went on. She had to.

Pagebreak

Her memories reversed back to when she was in the graduation ceremony in middle school. Her parents were very proud of her, for being in the honor roll. She wanted to continue on these good marks when she went to high school and hoped she could get to Harvard studying marine biology. The ocean fascinated her, and she hoped she could find out more about the Great Barrier Reef, maybe even find out other ways she could prevent it from disappearing. One of the things she always loved was nature, and she thought people should sit back and enjoy it more often. Nature was a beautiful thing, a stunning mistress, one that everyone should glance back more and appreciate. It was one of the things that kept her going back in the past, and maybe she could teach to others about how important conservation is. She hoped she could keep wildlife around for many years to come, even if she seemed like she set her hopes too high by teaching everyone on the wonders of nature.

She went walking to St. Mary's Park, underneath the great oak tree, looking at the stars and lightened clouds. She liked peace and quiet, and she always loved to watch the sky once in a while when she was at St. Mary's. Sometimes she had to sit back and watch the stars or clouds. She kept herself busy throughout the school years, but summer was a nice change for once. She could go to Barcelona for vacation with Roger and Lorena. She heard it was a magnificent place, and she loved to travel and observe how different nature was in a different place than Rochester, Minnesota. Sometimes getting away from the city for a while was healthy for her.

She stopped looking at the sky for a moment when she suddenly saw a boy from her middle school, from her English class, standing near her bench. "Hey Schiza. Lovely night, isn't it?"

""Hi Jacob. You can come sit by me, if you want." She liked Jacob. He was a smart boy, writing poems and stories that made her think. And she thought having a little company with her would be good this night.

He sighed a little, seeming to be from exhaustion, as he sat down with her, smiling. "So, are you excited about going to high school? I don't know about you, but I already feel like I'm going to be an outcast and not popular at all. I'm kind of a literary geek, after all."

"Don't worry about that, Jacob! High school isn't all what some people make it out to be, but I'm actually a little excited to go. I may sound like a geek when I say this too, but I love learning and I can't wait to try to get into Harvard. But if you keep a negative attitude about it, it won't help your situation any."

"I suppose that's right," he replied, staring out into the sky. "And you wanted to be a marine biologist, right? Well, I don't really need to go to a fancy college like Harvard to get my English major. Rochester University is fine enough for me. Are you sure you can do it though, Schiza? Getting into Harvard is not going to be easy."

"I know it won't be easy, but…I think life is full of challenges, and I haven't felt this alive in so long. Right now, I just want to take every challenge out there and reach for the stars, you know? Well, maybe I'm kind of elaborating too much, but…I want to be the best person I can be. Be the best damn marine biologist I can be. Because there was a point in my life where I felt like I couldn't do anything. I thought I was going to be as good as dead, just forgotten. No one would know about my death or even know who I was. But now I have an overwhelming desire to be remembered when I'm dead. But back then, there was someone who taught me that life is worth living, that I was worth it, and he would tell me so much on how brave, kind, and smart I was. And I'll never forget him. He helped me live. And to be alive and to be able to try to appreciate all these wonderful things life has to offer really is a wonderful thing in itself."

"And you know what else I think is wonderful?"

"What?" she asked, seeing Jacob was grinning ear to ear.

"You."

And he gave her a kiss.

She looked back at him, a little bewildered, wondering for a moment why he did that. But she realized she loved him too, and she kissed him on the lips.

It was truly a beautiful moment for the both of them. To be under this moonlit night with all the stars that were ablaze in their passion, kissing someone you truly loved, feeling the summer wind blowing their hair and making them feel alive, and seeing all the glowing city lights that told them that sometimes, even staying here in the big city, with a family she truly belonged in, with someone who loved her, was nice too.

And they held hands while she gazed at the afterglow of that blue star, the one she knew someone was watching her from above, a splendid, radiant guardian angel.

And she proclaimed, "And I will love you too. Forever and always."


End file.
